CVE-2026-20980
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 · uneditedImproper input validation in PACM prior to SMR Feb-2026 Release 1 allows physical attacker to execute arbitrary commands.
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 confidenceImproper input validation in PACM (prior to SMR Feb-2026 Release 1) allows a physical attacker to execute arbitrary commands on the device. The vulnerability stems from insufficient sanitization of input fields accessible through physical access (likely console, serial, or direct device interface), enabling command injection.
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= 14.0= 15.0= 16.0CVSS 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
- Physical
- Complexity
- Low
- Privileges
- None
- User interaction
- None
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- High
- Integrity
- High
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.1/AV:P/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
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 checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Identify Android versionCheck the Android version on the Samsung device via Settings > About Phone > Android version, or run 'getprop ro.build.version.release' in ADB/shellAffected if The installed version is 14.0, 15.0, or 16.0
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Confirm PACM presenceCheck if PACM (Process Aggregation and Control Manager or related module) is installed on the device - look for the PACM application or service via package manager or system logsAffected if PACM is present and running on the device
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Verify physical access interfacesInspect whether physical access interfaces such as USB debugging, serial console, or debug UART are enabled or accessible on the deviceAffected if Physical access interfaces (console, serial, debug ports) are exposed or enabled
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Check SMR release versionVerify the Samsung Maintenance Release (SMR) version via 'getprop ro.build.version.sem' or through system update settingsAffected if The SMR version is earlier than Feb-2026 Release 1 (meaning the input validation patch is not applied)
The device is affected if it runs Samsung Android 14.0, 15.0, or 16.0 with the PACM component present, physical access interfaces are exposed, and the SMR is prior to the Feb-2026 Release 1 patch.
Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.
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 · scopedApply SMR Feb-2026 Release 1 or later which contains the input validation fix. Additionally, implement strict physical access controls to the PACM device to limit exposure.
SMR Feb-2026 Release 1
- Navigate to Settings > Software Update on the Samsung Android device
- Tap "Check for updates" to search for the latest security patch
- If SMR Feb-2026 Release 1 is available, download and install the update
- Restart the device after the update completes
- Verify the update was successful by checking Settings > Software Update > Samsung security patch level
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
- Consultation4.0 h
- Implementation3.0 h
- Testing4.0 h
- Review / QA2.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $3,680.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2026-20980 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.
References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.
Primary sourcesPractitioner notes
ContributedPeer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2026-20980 in production — separate from our analysis above.
The advisory tells you what broke. It rarely tells you what actually worked. If you’ve dealt with this one, that detail is what the next engineer is searching for.
- The version that genuinely resolved it — not the one the vendor claimed
- A config change or rule that shut the vector down
- A gotcha in the upgrade path that cost you an afternoon
No notes yet
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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.
- 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