CVE-2026-20981
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 FacAtFunction prior to SMR Feb-2026 Release 1 allows privileged physical attacker to execute arbitrary command with system privilege.
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 confidenceA improper input validation vulnerability in the FacAtFunction component (prior to Samsung SMR Feb-2026 Release 1) allows a privileged physical attacker to execute arbitrary commands with system-level privileges. This represents a privilege escalation from the attacker's existing privileged access to full system control.
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
- Low
- User interaction
- None
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- High
- Integrity
- High
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.1/AV:P/AC:L/PR:L/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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Check Android versionGo to Settings > About Phone > Android version or run 'getprop ro.build.version.sdk' via ADBAffected if Version displays 14.0, 15.0, or 16.0 exactly
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Verify FacAtFunction component presenceCheck for the FacAtFunction service by running 'dumpsys | grep -i facat' via ADB shell with root privilegesAffected if FacAtFunction service or component is found running on the device
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Confirm device is SamsungRun 'getprop ro.product.brand' or 'getprop ro.manufacturer' to verify the device is a Samsung deviceAffected if Brand or manufacturer displays Samsung
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Check SMR patch levelRun 'getprop ro.build.version.samsung' or check Settings > Software info > Security patch level to see the installed Samsung maintenance releaseAffected if Security patch level is earlier than February 2026 (SMR Feb-2026 Release 1)
Device is affected if it is a Samsung Android device running version 14.0, 15.0, or 16.0 with the FacAtFunction component present and a security patch level prior to the February 2026 Samsung Maintenance Release.
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 the SMR Feb-2026 Release 1 or later patch to update the FacAtFunction component and remediate the input validation flaw.
SMR Feb-2026 Release 1 (Android 14.0/15.0/16.0 with February 2026 security patch)
- Check your Samsung device's current Android version (14.0, 15.0, or 16.0)
- Navigate to Settings > Software update on your Samsung device
- Download and install the SMR (Security Maintenance Release) for February 2026
- After update, verify the patch level is February-2026 or later in Settings > About phone > Software information > Security patch level
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
- Consultation3.0 h
- Implementation4.0 h
- Testing2.0 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 $3,168.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2026-20981 — 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-2026-20981 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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- 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
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