dbcve.org
AndroidOperating system · Samsung

CVE-2025-21041

MEDIUM · 5.5 CVSS v3.1 Published 2025-09-03
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 16.0 or later.
See remediation →
57/100
Remediation priority · Elevated
Zero-click

Official description Straight from the sourceThe vendor's or NVD's own wording, published unedited. Authoritative, but often terse — it says what broke, rarely what to do.

NVD · unedited
Insecure Storage of Sensitive Information in Secure Folder prior to Android 16 allows local attackers to access sensitive information.

Technical summary Written by usOur analysis, written from the advisory, the CVSS vector and the affected-version data. It adds context the advisory leaves out, and never invents facts that are not in the source.

dbcve analysis · moderate confidence

This is a vulnerability in Samsung's Secure Folder feature on Android devices prior to Android 16. The issue involves insecure storage of sensitive information, which allows local attackers with physical access to the device to bypass the expected protections of Secure Folder and access sensitive data that should be encrypted or protected.

MitigationUpdate affected devices to Android 16 or later, which contains the security patch for this vulnerability. Organizations should identify devices running Secure Folder on Android versions prior to 16 and prioritize patching through their mobile device management systems.

Verify against the referenced sources before acting — the references below are authoritative for this CVE, this summary is not.

Affected products & versions What the vendor confirmedThe version ranges the vendor confirmed as vulnerable. If your version sits inside a range here, treat yourself as exposed until you have upgraded.

NVD · CPE data
AndroidOperating system
Affected:< 16.0

CVSS breakdown How the score is builtThe industry scoring standard. It rates how the flaw is reached, what it takes to exploit, and what an attacker gains — the score is derived from those, not the other way round.

From the vector
Attack vector
Local
Complexity
Low
Privileges
Low
User interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
None
Availability
None

CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N

Am I affected? How to checkSteps we derive from the advisory and the affected-version data, so you can decide whether this CVE reaches your setup. They are a guide, not a scan — your own configuration is the authority.

dbcve checks

Work through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.

  1. Identify the Android version
    Check the device settings under Settings > About Phone > Android version to determine the installed Android OS version
    Affected if The Android version is below 16.0 (any version prior to Android 16)
  2. Confirm the device is a Samsung product
    Check the device manufacturer by viewing Settings > About Phone > Manufacturer or Model name
    Affected if The device is made by Samsung (Secure Folder is a Samsung-specific feature)
  3. Verify Secure Folder is enabled
    Locate the Secure Folder application in the app drawer or check Settings > Security and Privacy > Secure Folder to see if it is configured and active
    Affected if Secure Folder is installed and has been set up with user authentication
  4. Assess sensitive data exposure risk
    Check whether any sensitive applications, files, or credentials are stored within Secure Folder. This includes reviewing the contents of the Secure Folder through its file manager or examining which apps have been moved into it
    Affected if Sensitive or private data exists within Secure Folder on a Samsung device running Android versions prior to 16.0

A Samsung Android device running any version below Android 16 with Secure Folder enabled and containing sensitive data is affected by this vulnerability.

Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.

Check your environment

Paste your version and any relevant configuration and it will be compared against the affected criteria above. Do not include secrets or credentials.

AI-assisted, checked against the advisory. Informational, not a guarantee.

Remediation Closing itWhat it takes to close this. Where a vendor fix exists we point at it; where none exists we say so plainly, and can build one. Effort estimates are scoped from the advisory, not from your codebase.

dbcve · scoped
Upgrade available Upgrade to 16.0 or later
Fixed in 16.0
Interim mitigation

Update affected devices to Android 16 or later, which contains the security patch for this vulnerability. Organizations should identify devices running Secure Folder on Android versions prior to 16 and prioritize patching through their mobile device management systems.

Recommended fix Moderate confidence

Android 16.0

  1. Check your current Android version in Settings > About Phone > Android version
  2. Ensure your Samsung device is connected to Wi-Fi and has sufficient battery
  3. Go to Settings > Software update > Download and install to check for available updates
  4. If Android 16 is available, download and install the update
  5. After updating, verify the Android version shows 16.0 or higher
  6. Alternatively, check for Samsung security updates at security.samsungmobile.com and apply the latest available patch
Caveat Upgrading to Android 16 may introduce UI changes or remove compatibility with older apps; ensure critical apps are compatible before upgrading

Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.

Fix this in Android Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation8.0 h
  • Testing4.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
16.0 hours of engineering $2,800
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An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $4,480.

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References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.

Primary sources

Practitioner notes

Contributed

Peer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2025-21041 in production — separate from our analysis above.

No notes yet

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What this is

A place for practitioners to share what actually worked: a mitigation you’ve tested, a configuration change, a version- or environment-specific caveat, or a link to a verified patch. The most useful notes rise to the top as peers upvote them, so the signal stays high.

What belongs here
  • Verified mitigations, workarounds, and config changes
  • Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
  • No weaponised exploit code, or anything meant to cause harm
  • No spam, self-promotion, credentials, or personal data