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CVE-2026-21059 is a medium-severity vulnerability affecting Samsung Contacts on Samsung Mobile Devices running Android versions prior to the SMR Aug-2026 Release 1. The vulnerability stems from the improper export of Android application components—specifically, the Samsung Contacts component is exported in a way that does not properly restrict which other applications can launch it or access its data.
In the Android ecosystem, application components (activities, services, broadcast receivers, and content providers) can be declared as “exported” in the AndroidManifest.xml file. When a component is exported, it becomes accessible to other applications on the device. The security model relies on developers setting appropriate permissions and intent filters to control access. In this case, Samsung Contacts exported a component without adequate access restrictions.
The attack vector is local—an attacker must already have a presence on the device, such as through a malicious sideloaded application or a compromised legitimate app. The attack complexity is low, requiring no special conditions for exploitation. No user interaction is needed; the attack can occur automatically without the victim performing any action. The attacker does not require any privileges or authentication to exploit this flaw.
Once exploited, the malicious application can invoke the improperly exported Samsung Contacts component. Because the component runs with Samsung Contacts’ system privileges, the attacker can leverage this to delete arbitrary files on the device that Samsung Contacts has permission to access. This affects both the integrity and availability of the system, as critical files could be removed. The vulnerability does not compromise confidentiality—no data is exposed—but the ability to delete files can lead to denial of service or system instability.
Samsung assigned this vulnerability the internal ID SVE-2025-2364 and reserved CVE-2026-21059 on December 11, 2025. The vulnerability was published on August 10, 2026, and affects Samsung Mobile Devices running Android 14, 15, and 16 prior to the SMR Aug-2026 security update. The SMR Aug-2026 Release 1 in Android 16 is listed as unaffected.
DailyCVE Form:
Platform: Samsung Mobile Devices
Version: pre-SMR Aug-2026
Vulnerability: Improper Component Export
Severity: MEDIUM (CVSS 6.9)
date: August 10, 2026
Prediction: SMR Aug-2026 Release
What Undercode Say:
The following analytical commands can be used to audit Android application components for improper export vulnerabilities:
Audit AndroidManifest.xml for exported components without permissions aapt dump xmltree SamsungContacts.apk AndroidManifest.xml | grep -A 5 "exported" Check all exported activities, services, and receivers aapt dump xmltree SamsungContacts.apk AndroidManifest.xml | grep -E "activity|service|receiver" -A 10 | grep -E "exported|permission" Use Drozer to identify exported components on a running device adb forward tcp:31415 tcp:31415 drozer console connect run app.package.list -f samsung.contacts run app.package.info -a com.samsung.android.contacts run app.package.attacksurface com.samsung.android.contacts Scan for content providers that may be exposed run app.provider.info -a com.samsung.android.contacts Check intent filter configurations adb shell dumpsys package com.samsung.android.contacts | grep -A 20 "Activity Resolver Table"
Exploit: (Educational Purposes!)
A local attacker with a malicious application installed on the device can craft an intent targeting the improperly exported Samsung Contacts component:
// Malicious application code - EDUCATIONAL PURPOSE ONLY
Intent exploitIntent = new Intent();
exploitIntent.setComponent(new ComponentName(
"com.samsung.android.contacts",
"com.samsung.android.contacts.ExportComponent" // Hypothetical component name
));
exploitIntent.setAction("DELETE_FILE");
exploitIntent.putExtra("file_path", "/data/data/com.samsung.android.contacts/shared_prefs/");
startActivity(exploitIntent);
Because the component is exported without proper permission checks, Samsung Contacts processes the intent with its own privileges, allowing file deletion operations.
Protection:
- Apply the SMR Aug-2026 Release 1 security update immediately
- For developers, ensure all exported components are protected with custom permissions or set `android:exported=”false”` when not needed
- Use `android:permission` attributes to restrict which applications can access exported components
- Implement input validation and intent filtering to reject malicious intents
- Follow Android security best practices for component exposure (CWE-926 mitigation)
Impact:
- Integrity Impact: HIGH – Attackers can delete arbitrary files with Samsung Contacts’ privileges
- Availability Impact: NONE – File deletion does not directly affect system availability but can cause denial of service
- Confidentiality Impact: NONE – No data exposure occurs
- Attack Vector: LOCAL – Requires local access to the device
- Attack Complexity: LOW – No special conditions required
- Privileges Required: NONE – No authentication needed
- User Interaction: NONE – Attack occurs automatically
- Affected Android versions: 14, 15, and 16 prior to SMR Aug-2026
- No public exploit currently available
- Users should update to SMR Aug-2026 Release 1 or later to remediate the vulnerability
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Sources:
Reported By: nvd.nist.gov
Extra Source Hub:
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