CVE-2025-20968 Overview
CVE-2025-20968 is a critical improper access control vulnerability affecting Samsung Gallery, a pre-installed application on Samsung Android devices. The vulnerability allows remote attackers to bypass access control mechanisms, enabling unauthorized access to sensitive data stored within the Gallery application and the ability to perform internal operations without proper authentication or authorization.
This vulnerability impacts Samsung Galaxy devices running specific versions of the Gallery application across Android 13 and Android 14 operating systems. The flaw exists in the application's access control implementation, which fails to properly validate incoming requests, allowing malicious actors to interact with protected application components remotely.
Critical Impact
Remote attackers can access sensitive user data including photos, videos, and metadata stored in Samsung Gallery without requiring user interaction or authentication, potentially leading to privacy breaches and data exfiltration.
Affected Products
- Samsung Gallery prior to version 14.5.10.3 on Global Android 13
- Samsung Gallery prior to version 14.5.09.3 on China Android 13
- Samsung Gallery prior to version 15.5.04.5 on Android 14
Discovery Timeline
- 2025-05-07 - CVE-2025-20968 published to NVD
- 2026-01-30 - Last updated in NVD database
Technical Details for CVE-2025-20968
Vulnerability Analysis
The vulnerability stems from improper access control implementation within Samsung Gallery's internal components. The application fails to adequately verify the legitimacy of incoming requests, allowing remote attackers to bypass authentication and authorization checks. This enables unauthorized parties to access protected functionality and data within the application.
The attack can be executed over the network without requiring any user interaction, making it particularly dangerous. Once exploited, attackers gain the ability to read sensitive data stored in the Gallery application, including photos, videos, and associated metadata. Additionally, they can perform internal operations that should be restricted to the application itself or authorized system components.
Root Cause
The root cause of this vulnerability is improper access control implementation in Samsung Gallery. The application does not properly enforce access restrictions on its internal components and data operations, allowing unauthorized external entities to interact with protected resources. This represents a fundamental flaw in the application's security architecture, where the boundary between trusted and untrusted requests is not properly enforced.
Attack Vector
The vulnerability is exploitable over the network, requiring no privileges or user interaction. An attacker can remotely craft malicious requests targeting the vulnerable Samsung Gallery application components. Upon successful exploitation, the attacker gains unauthorized access to read sensitive user data and execute internal operations within the application context.
The attack flow involves:
- Remote attacker identifies a Samsung device running a vulnerable version of Samsung Gallery
- Attacker sends specially crafted requests targeting the application's improperly protected components
- Due to insufficient access control validation, the application processes these requests
- Attacker gains access to photos, videos, metadata, and can perform unauthorized internal operations
Detection Methods for CVE-2025-20968
Indicators of Compromise
- Unexpected network traffic originating from or destined to the Samsung Gallery application
- Unusual data access patterns within the Gallery application, particularly bulk access to media files
- Anomalous inter-process communication (IPC) requests targeting Gallery components
- Evidence of unauthorized content provider queries against Gallery data
Detection Strategies
- Monitor for unusual network activity involving the Samsung Gallery application on managed devices
- Implement mobile threat defense (MTD) solutions to detect anomalous application behavior
- Review application logs for unauthorized access attempts or unexpected internal operations
- Deploy endpoint detection and response (EDR) solutions with mobile device support to identify exploitation attempts
Monitoring Recommendations
- Enable enhanced logging on Samsung devices to capture application-level security events
- Implement network traffic analysis for mobile devices to detect potential exploitation attempts
- Monitor enterprise mobile device management (MDM) systems for Samsung Gallery version compliance
- Establish baseline behavior profiles for Samsung Gallery to detect deviations indicating potential compromise
How to Mitigate CVE-2025-20968
Immediate Actions Required
- Update Samsung Gallery to version 14.5.10.3 or later on Global Android 13 devices
- Update Samsung Gallery to version 14.5.09.3 or later on China Android 13 devices
- Update Samsung Gallery to version 15.5.04.5 or later on Android 14 devices
- Prioritize patching based on device exposure and data sensitivity
- Audit devices across the organization for vulnerable Samsung Gallery versions
Patch Information
Samsung has released security updates to address this vulnerability as part of their May 2025 security maintenance release. The patches are available through the Samsung Mobile Security Advisory. Organizations should update Samsung Gallery through the Galaxy Store or apply the latest device firmware updates that include the patched application version.
The following minimum versions contain the fix:
- Global Android 13: 14.5.10.3
- China Android 13: 14.5.09.3
- Android 14: 15.5.04.5
Workarounds
- Restrict network access for Samsung Gallery through device firewall policies where supported
- Consider disabling or revoking network permissions for Samsung Gallery on highly sensitive devices until patches are applied
- Implement network segmentation to limit exposure of vulnerable mobile devices
- Monitor for and block suspicious traffic patterns associated with Gallery application abuse
# Verify Samsung Gallery version via ADB
adb shell dumpsys package com.sec.android.gallery3d | grep versionName
# Expected patched versions: 14.5.10.3+ (Global), 14.5.09.3+ (China), 15.5.04.5+ (Android 14)
Disclaimer: This content was generated using AI. While we strive for accuracy, please verify critical information with official sources.
