CVE-2026-20979

Deeper analysis AI-assisted summary

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

CVE-2026-20979 is an improper privilege management vulnerability affecting the Settings component in Samsung devices prior to the SMR Feb-2026 Release 1. This flaw enables local attackers to escalate privileges by launching arbitrary activity under the Settings privilege context. The vulnerability carries a CVSS v3.1 base score of 7.8 (AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H), indicating high impact potential with low attack complexity.

Local attackers with low privileges on the affected device can exploit this vulnerability without user interaction. Successful exploitation allows them to execute arbitrary activities with elevated Settings privileges, potentially leading to high confidentiality, integrity, and availability impacts, such as unauthorized access to sensitive data or system modifications.

Samsung's February 2026 security bulletin, available at https://security.samsungmobile.com/securityUpdate.smsb?year=2026&month=02, details the issue and provides mitigation through the SMR Feb-2026 Release 1 update. Security practitioners should ensure devices are updated to this release or later to address the vulnerability.