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Vulnerabilities

CVE-2026-21021

Medium
Published: May 13, 2026  ·  Modified: May 16, 2026  ·  Source: NVD
CVSS v3
6.8
🔗 NVD Official
📄 Description (English)

Improper input validation in Routines prior to SMR May-2026 Release 1 allows physical attackers to launch privileged activity.

🤖 AI Executive Summary

CVE-2026-21021 is a medium-severity vulnerability in Samsung Android 16.0 devices that allows physical attackers to execute privileged activities through improper input validation in system routines. The vulnerability affects multiple Samsung security maintenance releases (SMR) from August 2025 through March 2026. While no public exploit is currently available and patching is not yet available, the physical attack vector limits immediate risk but requires monitoring for patch availability.

📄 Description (Arabic)

🤖 AI Intelligence Analysis Analyzed: May 15, 2026 03:19
🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia Impact Assessment
Saudi organizations using Samsung Android 16.0 devices in government (NCA, Ministry of Interior), banking (SAMA-regulated institutions), healthcare (MOH facilities), and enterprise environments face potential privilege escalation risks. The physical attack requirement limits exposure in typical office environments but poses significant risk for: (1) Government facilities with device access controls, (2) Banking operations with mobile banking infrastructure, (3) Healthcare systems using Samsung tablets/devices for patient data access, (4) Telecom operators (STC, Mobily) managing enterprise mobile fleets. Organizations with BYOD policies or field operations are at elevated risk.
🏢 Affected Saudi Sectors
Government (NCA, Ministry of Interior) Banking and Financial Services (SAMA-regulated) Healthcare (MOH facilities) Telecommunications (STC, Mobily) Energy (ARAMCO operations) Enterprise/Corporate
⚖️ Saudi Risk Score (AI)
5.2
/ 10.0
🔧 Remediation Steps (English)
Immediate Actions:
1. Inventory all Samsung Android 16.0 devices across the organization, particularly those with access to sensitive systems
2. Implement physical access controls to restrict unauthorized device handling in secure areas
3. Enable device encryption and secure boot verification on all Samsung devices
4. Review and strengthen device unlock mechanisms (PIN/biometric requirements)
5. Monitor Samsung security advisories for SMR May-2026 Release 1 patch availability

Patching Guidance:
1. Once patch is available, prioritize deployment to devices in high-security environments (government, banking, healthcare)
2. Test patches in non-production environment before enterprise rollout
3. Establish phased deployment schedule for critical systems

Compensating Controls:
1. Implement Mobile Device Management (MDM) solutions with remote lock/wipe capabilities
2. Restrict privileged application installation through app whitelisting
3. Enable Knox security features (Samsung Knox Real-time Protection)
4. Implement network segmentation to limit lateral movement from compromised devices
5. Deploy continuous monitoring for unauthorized privilege escalation attempts
6. Enforce mandatory device supervision and audit logging

Detection Rules:
1. Monitor system logs for unauthorized routine execution or privilege escalation attempts
2. Alert on unexpected system-level process spawning from non-system applications
3. Track failed and successful privilege escalation attempts via Knox audit logs
4. Monitor for unusual input patterns to system routines that bypass validation
🔧 خطوات المعالجة (العربية)
الإجراءات الفورية:
1. قم بحصر جميع أجهزة Samsung Android 16.0 في المنظمة، خاصة تلك التي لها وصول إلى الأنظمة الحساسة
2. تطبيق ضوابط الوصول الفيزيائي لتقييد التعامل غير المصرح به مع الأجهزة في المناطق الآمنة
3. تفعيل تشفير الجهاز والتحقق من الإقلاع الآمن على جميع أجهزة Samsung
4. مراجعة وتعزيز آليات فتح الجهاز (متطلبات PIN/البيومترية)
5. مراقبة استشارات أمان Samsung لتوفر تصحيح SMR May-2026 Release 1

إرشادات التصحيح:
1. عند توفر التصحيح، أعط الأولوية للنشر على الأجهزة في بيئات الأمان العالي (الحكومة والبنوك والرعاية الصحية)
2. اختبر التصحيحات في بيئة غير الإنتاج قبل النشر على مستوى المؤسسة
3. ضع جدول نشر مرحلي للأنظمة الحرجة

الضوابط البديلة:
1. تطبيق حلول إدارة الأجهزة المحمولة (MDM) مع قدرات القفل/المسح البعيد
2. تقييد تثبيت التطبيقات المميزة من خلال القائمة البيضاء للتطبيقات
3. تفعيل ميزات أمان Knox (حماية Samsung Knox في الوقت الفعلي)
4. تطبيق تقسيم الشبكة لتحديد الحركة الجانبية من الأجهزة المخترقة
5. نشر المراقبة المستمرة لمحاولات تصعيد الامتيازات غير المصرح بها
6. فرض الإشراف الإلزامي على الجهاز وتسجيل التدقيق

قواعد الكشف:
1. مراقبة سجلات النظام للتنفيذ غير المصرح به للروتينات أو محاولات تصعيد الامتيازات
2. تنبيه عند توليد عملية على مستوى النظام غير متوقعة من تطبيقات غير النظام
3. تتبع محاولات تصعيد الامتيازات الفاشلة والناجحة عبر سجلات تدقيق Knox
4. مراقبة أنماط الإدخال غير العادية لروتينات النظام التي تتجاوز التحقق
📋 Regulatory Compliance Mapping
🟢 NCA ECC 2024
ECC 2024 Control 5.3.1 - Access Control and Authentication ECC 2024 Control 5.3.2 - Privilege Management ECC 2024 Control 5.4.1 - Malware Protection ECC 2024 Control 6.2.1 - Vulnerability Management
🔵 SAMA CSF
SAMA CSF ID.AM-2 - Hardware and Software Inventory SAMA CSF PR.AC-1 - Access Control Policy SAMA CSF PR.AC-4 - Access Rights Management SAMA CSF DE.CM-1 - Asset Monitoring and Control
🟡 ISO 27001:2022
ISO 27001:2022 A.5.3 - Segregation of duties ISO 27001:2022 A.8.1 - User endpoint devices ISO 27001:2022 A.8.2 - Privileged access rights ISO 27001:2022 A.14.2 - Security in development and support processes
🟣 PCI DSS v4.0.1
PCI DSS 2.1 - Default security parameters PCI DSS 6.2 - Security patches and updates PCI DSS 7.1 - Restrict access to cardholder data
📦 Affected Products / CPE 10 entries
samsung:android:16.0
samsung:android:16.0
samsung:android:16.0
samsung:android:16.0
samsung:android:16.0
samsung:android:16.0
samsung:android:16.0
samsung:android:16.0
samsung:android:16.0
samsung:android:16.0
📊 CVSS Score
6.8
/ 10.0 — Medium
📊 CVSS Vector
CVSS:3.1/AV:P/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
Attack VectorP — Physical
Attack ComplexityL — Low / Local
Privileges RequiredN — None / Network
User InteractionN — None / Network
ScopeU — Unchanged
ConfidentialityH — High
IntegrityH — High
AvailabilityH — High
📋 Quick Facts
Severity Medium
CVSS Score6.8
EPSS0.05%
Exploit No
Patch ✗ No
Published 2026-05-13
Source Feed nvd
🇸🇦 Saudi Risk Score
5.2
/ 10.0 — Saudi Risk
Priority: HIGH
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