dbcve.org
AndroidOperating system · Samsung

CVE-2026-21016

MEDIUM · 5.5 CVSS v3.1 Published 2026-05-13
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
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
Incorrect privilege assignment in LocationManager prior to SMR May-2026 Release 1 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

Incorrect privilege assignment in Samsung's LocationManager component allows local attackers to gain unauthorized access to sensitive location-related information. The vulnerability exists in versions prior to the SMR May-2026 Release 1 patch.

MitigationApply the SMR May-2026 Release 1 security update to affected Samsung devices to remediate the privilege assignment vulnerability in LocationManager.

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
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. Confirm device is a Samsung Android device
    Go to Settings > About Phone > Device name and manufacturer. Verify the manufacturer is Samsung and the device runs Samsung's Android firmware (One UI) rather than stock Android.
    Affected if The device is not manufactured by Samsung or does not run Samsung's custom Android firmware.
  2. Check the Android OS version
    Navigate to Settings > About Phone > Android version. Record the major version number displayed (e.g., 14, 15, 16).
    Affected if The Android version is 14.0, 15.0, or 16.0.
  3. Check the Samsung SMR (Samsung Maintenance Release) version
    Navigate to Settings > About Phone > Software information > Service version or SMR (Samsung Maintenance Release) version. Record the build date displayed (e.g., May-2026 Release 1).
    Affected if The SMR version is earlier than May-2026 Release 1 or the SMR version field shows a date prior to May 2026.
  4. Verify LocationManager component permissions
    Using ADB or a root file explorer, inspect the permissions granted to the LocationManager service in /system/etc/permissions or check via Settings > Apps > LocationManager (if available). Look for any permission configurations that appear misaligned with standard Android permission models.
    Affected if Non-system applications or unexpected services have been granted elevated location permissions that should require higher privilege levels.

You are affected if you are running a Samsung Android device with OS version 14.0, 15.0, or 16.0 and the SMR version is earlier than the May-2026 Release 1 patch.

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
Mitigation available No clean upgrade yet — mitigate in the meantime
Mitigation

Apply the SMR May-2026 Release 1 security update to affected Samsung devices to remediate the privilege assignment vulnerability in LocationManager.

Recommended fix Moderate confidence

SMR May-2026 Release 1

  1. Open Settings on your Samsung Galaxy device
  2. Navigate to Settings > Security and privacy (or Settings > Software update on some devices)
  3. Tap on 'Check for updates' or navigate to 'Samsung Security update'
  4. Ensure the device is updated to SMR May-2026 Release 1 or later
  5. If the update is not yet available, periodically check for updates as rollout may be staged by region and carrier

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

Fix this in Android Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation4.0 h
  • Implementation2.0 h
  • Testing4.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
12.0 hours of engineering $2,120
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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-2026-21016 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
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