CVE-2025-20916
📋 TL;DR
An out-of-bounds read vulnerability in Samsung Notes' SPen string reading functionality allows attackers to access memory beyond intended boundaries. This affects Samsung Notes versions prior to 4.4.26.71 on Samsung mobile devices. The vulnerability could potentially leak sensitive information from device memory.
💻 Affected Systems
- Samsung Notes
📦 What is this software?
Notes by Samsung
⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact
Worst Case
Attackers could read sensitive data from device memory, potentially including authentication tokens, passwords, or other application data stored in adjacent memory regions.
Likely Case
Information disclosure of limited memory contents, possibly revealing application state or partial data fragments without direct control over what memory is accessed.
If Mitigated
With proper patching, no impact as the vulnerability is fixed in the memory boundary checking.
🎯 Exploit Status
Exploitation requires triggering the SPen string reading functionality with specially crafted input. No public exploit details available as of advisory publication.
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: 4.4.26.71
Vendor Advisory: https://security.samsungmobile.com/serviceWeb.smsb?year=2025&month=03
Restart Required: No
Instructions:
1. Open Galaxy Store or Google Play Store on Samsung device. 2. Search for 'Samsung Notes'. 3. Update to version 4.4.26.71 or later. 4. Alternatively, enable automatic updates in store settings.
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Disable Samsung Notes SPen features
androidTemporarily disable SPen integration in Samsung Notes to prevent triggering the vulnerable code path
Use alternative note-taking app
androidSwitch to a different note-taking application until Samsung Notes is updated
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Restrict Samsung Notes usage to trusted documents only
- Disable Samsung Notes app entirely via device management policies if available
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Check Samsung Notes version in app settings: Open Samsung Notes > Settings > About Samsung Notes > Check version numberCheck Version:
Not applicable - check via app UI on Android deviceVerify Fix Applied:
Confirm version is 4.4.26.71 or higher in Samsung Notes settings📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- Application crashes in Samsung Notes
- Memory access violation logs in system logs
Network Indicators:
- No network indicators - local vulnerability
SIEM Query:
Not applicable - local application vulnerability without network traffic