Security Resilience

CVE-2021-25337

LPE in Samsung Android 10.0 … 9.0

CISA KEVActive ExploitationEUVD ExploitedLPE
Published
04 March 2021
Modified
30 October 2025
KEV Added
08 November 2022
Patch / advisory
CVSS Score v3.1 4.4
Click a component to see what it means
Raw vectorCVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:L/I:L/A:N
EPSS Score 0.028 86th percentile
Risk Priority 75 floored blend · peak EPSS

CVSS and EPSS are reproduced from their sources (NVD, FIRST EPSS). Risk Priority is our own derived reading, not an NVD score.

Summary

CVE-2021-25337 is a medium-severity Improper Privilege Management (CWE-269) vulnerability in Samsung Android. Its CVSS base score is 4.4 (Medium).

Operationally, ranked in the top 14% of CVEs by exploit likelihood; CISA has added it to the Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog.

Deeper analysis AI-assisted summary

Synthesised by an AI model from the NVD description and linked references — a reading aid, not an authoritative source.

The vulnerability is an improper access control issue (CWE-269) in the clipboard service of Samsung mobile devices running versions prior to the SMR Mar-2021 Release 1. It enables untrusted applications to read or write certain local files on the device, with a CVSS 3.1 base score of 4.4 reflecting local attack vector, low complexity, no required privileges, and required user interaction.

An attacker can exploit the flaw by installing or running an untrusted application on the affected Samsung device. Successful exploitation grants the ability to access or modify selected local files, resulting in limited impacts to confidentiality and integrity without affecting availability.

Samsung security advisories direct users to apply the SMR Mar-2021 Release 1 update or later via the referenced security update pages. The CVE is also catalogued by CISA as a known exploited vulnerability, confirming observed real-world attacks.

OWASP Top 10 for Web (2025)

EU & UK References

Vulnerability Data

Improper access control in clipboard service in Samsung mobile devices prior to SMR Mar-2021 Release 1 allows untrusted applications to read or write certain local files.

CWE(s)
KEV Date Added
08 November 2022

Related Threats

CVEs Like This One

CVE-2023-21492Same product: Samsung Androidboth on KEV
CVE-2023-30642Same product: Samsung Android
CVE-2025-21042Same product: Samsung Androidboth on KEV
CVE-2021-25489Same product: Samsung Androidboth on KEV
CVE-2021-25487Same product: Samsung Androidboth on KEV
CVE-2023-30713Same product: Samsung Android
CVE-2021-25395Same product: Samsung Androidboth on KEV
CVE-2021-25370Same product: Samsung Androidboth on KEV
CVE-2025-21043Same product: Samsung Androidboth on KEV
CVE-2021-25394Same product: Samsung Androidboth on KEV

Affected Assets

samsung
android
10.0, 11.0, 9.0

Mitigating Controls

Likely Mitigating Controls AI

Per-CVE control mapping for this CVE has not run yet; the list below is derived from the weakness types (CWEs) cited in the NVD entry.

addresses: CWE-269

Policy addresses roles, responsibilities, and privilege management to prevent improper privilege assignments.

addresses: CWE-269

Access supervision ensures privileges are assigned and managed without improper escalation or retention.

addresses: CWE-269

Assigning group/role memberships and access authorizations (privileges) while reviewing accounts addresses improper privilege management.

addresses: CWE-269

Enforces proper privilege management by requiring all decisions through the verified reference monitor.

addresses: CWE-269

By mandating division of duties across roles, the control enforces proper privilege management and prevents a single entity from controlling an entire sensitive process.

addresses: CWE-269

Implements core proper privilege management by restricting to only required rights.

addresses: CWE-269

Policy requires training on privilege management and least privilege, making it harder to exploit improper privilege management weaknesses.

addresses: CWE-269

Training covers proper privilege management practices, making incorrect privilege assignments less likely.

Mitigating Controls (ISO/IEC 27001:2022 Annex A) AI

Derived directly from the weakness types (CWEs) cited in the NVD entry via our AI-authored CWE→ISO cross-walk (authority under review) — links open the control.

blocks

A.5.15 directly mandates determining access requirements, defining/enforcing topic-specific access control policy, assigning rights/restrictions by entity/role, consistency with classification, need-to-know, privileged access restrictions, segregation, formal authorization, and dynamic rules — which stops most improper privilege management from being exploitable; bounded remainder is flawed implementation of those rules (e.g. incorrect mapping or enforcement bugs).

blocks

A.5.18 directly governs the provisioning, review, modification and timely revocation of access rights (including for role changes, termination and privilege levels), which stops most improper privilege spheres from being exploitable even if the assignment flaw exists; the bounded remainder is flaws in the underlying enforcement mechanism itself (e.g. AC-3/A.8.3)

blocks

Defining and communicating authorization levels for each role limits the assignment of excessive or unnecessary privileges.

A.8.15 Logging partial match
finds

Logging every use of privileges and protecting those records makes it harder for an attacker who has obtained elevated rights to operate without leaving evidence.

blocks

A.8.2 directly controls the identification, allocation, review, expiry, temporary use, and separation of privileged rights per policy, which prevents most improper privilege management (CWE-269) by design; the bounded remainder is flawed tracking/checking logic inside the product's own enforcement code (the AC-3 slice of 269).

blocks

A.8.27 mandates security-by-design principles including least privilege, default deny, fail securely, defence in depth, security architecture integration, hardening, and zero-trust verification of every request; these directly stop most improper privilege spheres from being exploitable even if the assignment flaw remains, with a bounded remainder (e.g. certain legacy or safety-overridden controls).

Hardening callouts derived

DISA STIG baselines are authored against specific weaknesses. Where this CVE cites a broad weakness class, the mapping is not asserted at that abstraction (owner ruling, 2026-09-25: grade only at Base and below), so no rule is shown here rather than a rule shown against the wrong grain.

References