CVE-2026-21023
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 · uneditedInsufficient verification of data authenticity in PackageManagerService prior to SMR Mar-2026 Release 1 allows local attackers to modify the installation restriction of specific application.
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 local attacker can exploit insufficient verification of data authenticity in Samsung's PackageManagerService to modify installation restrictions for specific applications. This allows attackers to bypass sideloading restrictions or block legitimate app installations on affected Samsung devices running Android versions prior to the SMR Mar-2026 Release 1 patch.
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
- Local
- Complexity
- Low
- Privileges
- Low
- User interaction
- None
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- None
- Integrity
- High
- Availability
- None
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:H/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 checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Identify the device manufacturerRun 'getprop ro.product.brand' or check the device settings to confirm the device is manufactured by SamsungAffected if The device is not a Samsung device, as this vulnerability affects only Samsung implementations of Android
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Check the Android versionRun 'getprop ro.build.version.release' or check Settings > About Phone > Android versionAffected if The Android version is 14.0, 15.0, or 16.0 (versions outside this range are not affected)
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Verify the security patch levelRun 'getprop ro.build.version.security_patch' or check Settings > About Phone > Security patch levelAffected if The security patch level is earlier than March 2026 (the patch was released in SMR Mar-2026 Release 1)
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Confirm the PackageManagerService is presentVerify the existence of /system/system_priv_fs/priv-app/RemenchService/RemenchService.apk or check for the Samsung PackageManagerService component via 'dumpsys package'Affected if The PackageManagerService component exists and handles installation restrictions on the device
A Samsung device running Android 14.0, 15.0, or 16.0 with a security patch level before March 2026 is affected by this vulnerability.
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 Mar-2026 Release 1 security patch or later to affected Samsung devices to remediate the vulnerability. Organizations should ensure patch management processes include Samsung devices and verify the update has been applied.
SMR Mar-2026 Release 1 (Security Update)
- Open Settings on your Samsung Android device
- Navigate to Software Update
- Tap Download and Install to check for the latest security update
- Ensure the security patch level is updated to SMR Mar-2026 Release 1 or later
- Verify the security patch level by going to Settings > About Phone > Software Information > Security Patch Level
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
- Consultation4.0 h
- Implementation8.0 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 $5,120.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2026-21023 — 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-2026-21023 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