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AndroidOperating system · Samsung

CVE-2026-21007

MEDIUM · 6.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2026-04-13
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
73/100
Remediation priority · Elevated
No privileges 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
Improper check for exceptional conditions in Device Care prior to SMR Apr-2026 Release 1 allows physical attackers to bypass Knox Guard.

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 Samsung vulnerability in Device Care where an improper check for exceptional conditions allows a physical attacker to bypass Knox Guard (Samsung's security/factory reset protection). The vulnerability exists in versions prior to the SMR Apr-2026 Release 1.

MitigationApply the Samsung SMR Apr-2026 Release 1 or later update to Device Care to patch the improper exception handling that allows Knox Guard bypass.

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:= 14.0= 15.0= 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
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 checks

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

  1. Check Android OS version
    Go to Settings > About Phone > Android version, or run: `adb shell getprop ro.build.version.release`
    Affected if Android version is 14.0, 15.0, or 16.0 (prior to SMR Apr-2026 update)
  2. Verify Device Care app is installed
    Run: `adb shell pm list packages | grep -i 'device.care|lool|samsung.android.lool'` or check in Settings > Apps for 'Device Care' or 'Device Care: Maintenance & Security'
    Affected if Device Care app is present on the device
  3. Get Device Care app version
    Run: `adb shell dumpsys package <package_name>` where package_name is the Device Care package found above, or check in Settings > Apps > Device Care > App info > Version
    Affected if Version is earlier than SMR Apr-2026 Release 1 (the fixed release)
  4. Check if Knox Guard is enabled
    Go to Settings > Biometrics and security > Knox Guard, or check via: `adb shell settings get global knox_guard_enabled` (if available)
    Affected if Knox Guard protection is currently active on the device

A device is affected if it runs Android 14.0, 15.0, or 16.0 with a Device Care version prior to the SMR Apr-2026 Release 1 and has Knox Guard enabled.

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.

From vendor data
Mitigation available No clean upgrade yet — mitigate in the meantime
Mitigation

Apply the Samsung SMR Apr-2026 Release 1 or later update to Device Care to patch the improper exception handling that allows Knox Guard bypass.

Fix this in Android Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation1.0 h
  • Testing2.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
6.0 hours of engineering $1,060
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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-2026-21007 in production — separate from our analysis above.

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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
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