CVE-2025-20967 in Samsung
Summary
by MITRE • 05/07/2025
Improper access control in Samsung Gallery prior to version 14.5.10.3 in Global Android 13, 14.5.09.3 in China Android 13, and 15.5.04.5 in Android 14 allows attackers to read and write arbitrary file with the privilege of Samsung Gallery.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 01/31/2026
This vulnerability represents a critical improper access control flaw in Samsung Gallery applications across multiple Android versions and regional variants. The vulnerability affects Samsung Gallery versions prior to 14.5.10.3 for Global Android 13, 14.5.09.3 for China Android 13, and 15.5.04.5 for Android 14, creating a persistent security weakness that allows unauthorized file system access. The flaw stems from insufficient privilege validation mechanisms within the gallery application, enabling attackers to escalate their privileges and gain arbitrary file read and write capabilities. This type of vulnerability falls under CWE-284 which specifically addresses improper access control issues in software systems.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability exploits the gallery application's failure to properly validate user privileges before executing file system operations. Attackers can leverage this weakness to bypass normal access controls and manipulate files within the device's storage system. The privilege escalation occurs at the application level where Samsung Gallery fails to properly enforce its own security boundaries, allowing malicious actors to execute unauthorized file operations with elevated privileges. This creates a dangerous attack surface where sensitive user data, including photos, videos, and other media files, becomes accessible to unauthorized parties. The vulnerability is particularly concerning because it affects the core media management application that users trust to handle their personal content securely.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple data access, as it provides attackers with persistent access to user media files and potentially other sensitive data stored on the device. An attacker could use this privilege escalation to read private photographs, modify or delete media files, and potentially exfiltrate sensitive information from the device. The implications are severe for user privacy and data protection, as the vulnerability allows for unauthorized modification of user content and potential data theft. From an ATT&CK framework perspective, this vulnerability maps to privilege escalation techniques and can be leveraged for lateral movement within the device's file system. The affected versions span multiple Android releases, indicating this is likely a widespread issue affecting numerous Samsung devices in the field.
Mitigation strategies should focus on immediate patch deployment for all affected Samsung Gallery versions, with security updates prioritized for devices running the vulnerable Android versions. Organizations should implement network monitoring to detect potential exploitation attempts and establish baseline security configurations that limit unnecessary file system access. Users should be advised to update their Samsung Gallery applications immediately and avoid installing untrusted third-party applications that might exploit similar privilege escalation vectors. The vulnerability highlights the importance of proper access control implementation in mobile applications and reinforces the need for regular security assessments of core system applications. Additionally, device administrators should consider implementing mobile device management policies that enforce automatic security updates and restrict file system access permissions for applications that do not require such privileges.