CVE-2026-20993: Samsung Assistant Information Disclosure

CVE-2026-20993 Overview

CVE-2026-20993 is a mobile application vulnerability affecting Samsung Assistant on Android devices. The vulnerability stems from improper export of Android application components, which allows a local attacker to access saved information stored within the application. This represents a classic Android security misconfiguration where application components are inadvertently exposed to other applications on the device.

Critical Impact

Local attackers can exploit improperly exported Android components to access sensitive user information saved within Samsung Assistant, potentially compromising user privacy and data confidentiality.

Affected Products

• Samsung Assistant prior to version 9.3.10.7
• Samsung Galaxy devices running vulnerable Samsung Assistant versions
• Android devices with Samsung Assistant installed from Samsung Galaxy Store

Discovery Timeline

• 2026-03-16 - CVE CVE-2026-20993 published to NVD
• 2026-03-16 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2026-20993

Vulnerability Analysis

This vulnerability falls under the category of improper access control in Android application architecture. Android applications consist of various components including Activities, Services, Broadcast Receivers, and Content Providers. When these components are exported (either explicitly via android:exported="true" or implicitly through intent filters), they become accessible to other applications on the device.

In the case of Samsung Assistant, one or more application components were improperly exported, creating an attack surface where a malicious local application could interact with these components without proper authorization. This design flaw allows attackers to bypass intended access restrictions and retrieve saved information that should remain private to the Samsung Assistant application.

The local attack vector means exploitation requires the attacker to have the ability to install and execute code on the target device, either through a malicious application or through direct device access.

Root Cause

The root cause of CVE-2026-20993 lies in the Android manifest configuration of Samsung Assistant. Application components were exported without adequate protection mechanisms such as signature-level permissions or proper validation of calling applications. This misconfiguration exposes internal application functionality to any application running on the same device.

In Android development, components can be unintentionally exported when they declare intent filters without explicitly setting android:exported="false". Starting from Android 12, the android:exported attribute must be explicitly declared, but older configurations or oversights in development can still lead to such vulnerabilities.

Attack Vector

The attack requires local access to the target device, either physically or through a previously installed malicious application. An attacker can craft an Android application that:

1. Identifies the exported components in Samsung Assistant through static analysis of the APK
2. Creates intents targeting the vulnerable exported components
3. Invokes these components to extract saved user information
4. Exfiltrates the retrieved data without user knowledge or consent

The attack does not require elevated privileges beyond standard Android application permissions, making it accessible to any installed malicious app. The vulnerability allows unauthorized read access to application data and could potentially enable modification of stored information, affecting both data integrity and availability.

Detection Methods for CVE-2026-20993

Indicators of Compromise

• Unusual inter-process communication (IPC) targeting Samsung Assistant components
• Unknown or suspicious applications querying Samsung Assistant data
• Unexpected access logs showing component invocations from unauthorized package names
• Presence of applications performing package scanning or intent probing activities

Detection Strategies

• Monitor Android system logs for suspicious intent broadcasts targeting Samsung Assistant
• Implement application-level auditing to track component invocations from external sources
• Use mobile threat detection solutions to identify apps that probe for exported components
• Review installed applications for known malicious packages that exploit component export vulnerabilities

Monitoring Recommendations

• Deploy mobile device management (MDM) solutions with application behavior monitoring capabilities
• Enable Android audit logging to capture inter-application communication patterns
• Regularly scan devices for applications with unusual permission combinations that could facilitate exploitation
• Implement network monitoring to detect potential data exfiltration from compromised devices

How to Mitigate CVE-2026-20993

Immediate Actions Required

• Update Samsung Assistant to version 9.3.10.7 or later immediately
• Review installed applications on affected devices for suspicious or unknown apps
• Enable automatic updates for Samsung applications through Galaxy Store
• Consider temporarily restricting Samsung Assistant access to sensitive data until patching is complete

Patch Information

Samsung has addressed this vulnerability in Samsung Assistant version 9.3.10.7. The fix properly restricts the export of vulnerable application components and implements appropriate access controls. Users should update their Samsung Assistant application through the Samsung Galaxy Store or enable automatic updates to receive the security patch.

For detailed patch information, refer to the Samsung Mobile Security Update advisory.

Workarounds

• If unable to update immediately, consider disabling Samsung Assistant until the patch can be applied
• Restrict application installation to trusted sources only (Samsung Galaxy Store and Google Play Store)
• Enable Google Play Protect to scan for potentially harmful applications
• Review and audit device permissions to minimize attack surface from other installed applications

# Check Samsung Assistant version via ADB
adb shell dumpsys package com.samsung.android.vassistant | grep versionName

# List potentially dangerous exported components (for security auditing)
adb shell pm dump com.samsung.android.vassistant | grep -A 5 "exported=true"