CVE-2021-25499
📋 TL;DR
This vulnerability allows attackers to redirect intents in Samsung's Galaxy Store app, potentially accessing its content provider. This affects Samsung Galaxy devices running Galaxy Store versions prior to 4.5.32.4. Attackers could exploit this to access sensitive data or perform unauthorized actions.
💻 Affected Systems
- Samsung Galaxy Store
📦 What is this software?
⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact
Worst Case
Complete compromise of Galaxy Store data, including potentially sensitive user information, app data, or the ability to install malicious apps through the store.
Likely Case
Unauthorized access to Galaxy Store content provider data, potentially exposing user preferences, installed app information, or store metadata.
If Mitigated
Limited impact with proper app sandboxing and content provider permissions, though some data exposure may still occur.
🎯 Exploit Status
Requires user interaction with malicious content. Exploitation involves intent redirection to bypass security controls.
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: 4.5.32.4 and later
Vendor Advisory: https://security.samsungmobile.com/serviceWeb.smsb?year=2021&month=10
Restart Required: No
Instructions:
1. Open Galaxy Store app
2. Go to Settings
3. Check for updates
4. Update to version 4.5.32.4 or later
5. Alternatively, update through Samsung's app store or device firmware updates
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Disable Galaxy Store
androidTemporarily disable the Galaxy Store app to prevent exploitation
adb shell pm disable-user --user 0 com.sec.android.app.samsungapps
Restrict app permissions
androidReview and restrict Galaxy Store permissions in device settings
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Implement mobile device management (MDM) policies to restrict app installations and permissions
- Use application allowlisting to prevent unauthorized apps from running alongside Galaxy Store
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Check Galaxy Store version in app settings or via: adb shell dumpsys package com.sec.android.app.samsungapps | grep versionNameCheck Version:
adb shell dumpsys package com.sec.android.app.samsungapps | grep versionNameVerify Fix Applied:
Confirm Galaxy Store version is 4.5.32.4 or higher using the same command📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- Unusual intent redirection attempts in Android system logs
- Unexpected content provider access from Galaxy Store
Network Indicators:
- Unusual network traffic from Galaxy Store to unexpected destinations
SIEM Query:
source="android_logs" AND (process="GalaxyStore" OR package="com.sec.android.app.samsungapps") AND (event="intent_redirect" OR event="content_provider_access")