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Samsung HEIF Decoder EUVDEUVD-2026-97190

| CVE-2026-21126 MEDIUM
2026-10-12 mobile.security@samsung.com GHSA-2hxp-582q-c265
6.9
CVSS 4.0 · Vendor: samsung
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Attack ChainAIDerived

Hypothetical attack flow derived from CVE metadata – not a confirmed exploit chain

  1. Access
    Install malicious local app
  2. Exploit
    Supply crafted HEIF cover image
  3. Execution
    Trigger input-validation flaw in heifdec
  4. Impact
    Out-of-bounds memory write

Vulnerability Assessment

Exploitation Conditions

Exploitation requires local code execution on a Samsung mobile device - specifically an app or process able to feed a crafted HEIF file into the cover-image decoding path of libsimba.heifdec.media.samsung.so (AV:L). No authentication or user interaction is required once an attacker has local presence (PR:N/UI:N), so a co-resident unprivileged app is sufficient. The principal limiting factor is the local attack vector: the attacker must already have an app or foothold on the device, and exposure is bounded to builds prior to SMR Oct-2026 Release 1 - patched devices are not affected. Impact is confined to an out-of-bounds write (integrity), with no vendor-asserted confidentiality or availability effect.

Impact

This is a medium-severity local vulnerability (CVSS 4.0 base 6.9) in Samsung's HEIF image decoder library (libsimba.heifdec.media.samsung.so). The CVSS 4.0 vector (AV:L/AC:L/AT:N/PR:N/UI:N) indicates a local attack vector with low complexity, no privileges, and no user interaction, meaning any locally-installed, unprivileged application could trigger the flaw by supplying a crafted HEIF file for cover-image decoding. Impact is scoped narrowly to integrity (VI:H) with no confidentiality (VC:N) or availability (VA:N) impact in the vendor rating, consistent with an out-of-bounds write primitive rather than information disclosure or crash. No EPSS score, SSVC decision, KEV listing, or POC is present in the provided data, so there is no public exploit identified at time of analysis and no evidence of active exploitation; this reads as a priority patch for Samsung mobile fleets but not an emergency. A key caveat: AV:L plus PR:N/UI:N implies a co-resident malicious or compromised app is the realistic threat model, so real-world risk depends heavily on whether an attacker can get code onto the device first - the raw 6.9 overstates risk for a well-managed device and understates it where sideloaded apps are common. The isolated VI:H with no availability impact is slightly unusual for a memory-corruption bug; an OOB write typically also risks crashes, so the pure-integrity rating should be verified against the forthcoming Samsung advisory.

Exploit ScenarioDerived

A malicious or compromised unprivileged app installed on a Samsung device supplies a specially crafted HEIF image and triggers cover-image decoding by libsimba.heifdec.media.samsung.so. Improper input validation causes an out-of-bounds memory write, which an attacker could leverage toward memory corruption in the media-processing context. No public exploit code is available at time of analysis.

This Month Plan within 30 days. Why: MEDIUM severity (CVSS 4.0-6.9).
No patch listed yet 0.2% exploitation probability (EPSS)

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AnalysisAIv1 – Oct 12, 2026

Out-of-bounds memory write in Samsung's HEIF decoder library (libsimba.heifdec.media.samsung.so) allows a local attacker to corrupt memory by supplying a crafted HEIF image to the cover-image decoding path. Only devices running builds prior to SMR Oct-2026 Release 1 are affected; the flaw is local (AV:L) but requires no privileges or user interaction once an app or process is present on the device, meaning a co-resident unprivileged application is sufficient. Impact is limited to integrity (no confidentiality or availability effect asserted), and no public exploit identified at time of analysis.

RemediationAI

Apply Samsung Security Maintenance Release SMR Oct-2026 Release 1 (or later) to affected devices; this is the vendor-released patch that fixes the library, and it is distributed through the normal firmware/OTA channel (Settings > Software update > Download and install) plus carrier and enterprise MDM update mechanisms. Samsung publishes the SMR details and the list of covered builds at https://security.samsungmobile.com/securityUpdate.smsb?year=2026&month=10. Where the update cannot be applied immediately, the practical compensating controls are constrained because the vulnerable decoder sits in the platform media stack rather than in a user-facing app: the most effective interim measure is to prevent untrusted HEIF/HEIC files from reaching the decode path - for example, disable or restrict third-party messaging, browser, and gallery applications that auto-thumbnail downloaded images, block automatic media preview generation on untrusted sources, and use enterprise policy to limit sideloading and untrusted content channels - accepting the trade-off of reduced functionality and user friction, and noting that these controls only narrow the attack surface since any locally running app can still supply a crafted file. No network-facing workaround (such as blocking a port) applies to this local-vector flaw.

Affected VersionsENISA

Samsung Mobile Devices patch: SMR Oct-2026 Release in Android 14, 15, 16, 17

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Technical ContextAI · show details

The affected component is libsimba.heifdec.media.samsung.so, a Samsung-proprietary shared library used by the platform media framework to decode HEIF/HEIC images (the ISO-BMFF-based container format used by modern smartphones for still images and image sequences). The vulnerable code path specifically handles extraction of the 'cover image' - the primary item referenced by the container's cover/primary-item metadata - meaning the parser reads length, offset, or dimension fields from the file and uses them to size or index a destination buffer without adequate bounds validation. This is an improper input validation root cause resolving into an out-of-bounds write (the CWE-787/CWE-20 class; no explicit CWE was published by the vendor). Because the library is loaded into media/codec processes that can be reached by ordinary applications, a malformed HEIF file is enough to trigger the memory corruption from a local context. The CVSS 4.0 vector confirms the local attack vector, low attack complexity, no required privileges or user interaction, and a high integrity impact with no confidentiality or availability component (VC:N/VI:H/VA:N).

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Severity by source

Vendor (samsung) PRIMARY 6.9 MEDIUM
CVSS:4.0/AV:L/AC:L/AT:N/PR:N/UI:N/VC:N/VI:H/VA:N/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N
vuln.today AI 6.2 MEDIUM

Local attack by any unprivileged co-resident app with no interaction gives AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N; OOB write is integrity-only (I:H) with no confidentiality or availability impact per vendor.

3.1 AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:H/A:N
4.0 AV:L/AC:L/AT:N/PR:N/UI:N/VC:N/VI:H/VA:N/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N

Primary rating from Vendor (samsung).

CVSS VectorVendor: samsung

Attack Vector
Local
Attack Complexity
Low
Attack Requirements
None
Privileges Required
None
User Interaction
None
Vulnerable system: Confidentiality
None
Vulnerable system: Integrity
High
Vulnerable system: Availability
None
Subsequent system: Confidentiality
None
Subsequent system: Integrity
None
Subsequent system: Availability
None

DescriptionCVE.org

Improper input validation in getting cover image in libsimba.heifdec.media.samsung.so prior to SMR Oct-2026 Release 1 allows local attackers to write out-of-bounds memory.

Threat Intelligence Overview

EPSS Score
0.2%
Top 96% exploitable
Prevalence
High
Samsung mobile media library deployed across a huge Android OEM device base
Social Media
1
Sightings
Data Quality
4 sources
Confidence: Medium

How this decision was reached

The engine reads each signal below and applies a fixed list of rules from top to bottom. The first rule that matches sets the recommended action – like a statement, every line is shown.

SignalValue
Severity MEDIUM
CISA KEV No
Public POC No
EPSS 0.2%
Patch available No
Active threat No
Deciding rule
MEDIUM severity (CVSS 4.0-6.9)
What every action level means
Emergency Immediate action required. Criteria: CRITICAL + in CISA KEV (actively exploited) without patch, OR CRITICAL + EPSS > 30% without patch, OR CRITICAL + active threat signals without patch.
Act Now Prioritize within 24-48h. Criteria: in KEV with patch available, OR CRITICAL + public POC, OR HIGH + EPSS > 10%, OR CRITICAL + active threat, OR any CRITICAL severity.
This Week Schedule remediation this week. Criteria: HIGH severity (CVSS 7.0-8.9). Patch within normal change window.
This Month Plan within 30 days. Criteria: MEDIUM severity (CVSS 4.0-6.9), lower exploitation probability. Include in regular patch cycle.
Monitor Track and reassess. Criteria: LOW severity (CVSS 0.1-3.9), minimal exploitation risk. No immediate action needed.

SSVC AssessmentENISA

SSVC Decision· derived
Scheduled
Exploitation· derived
None
System Exposure· derived
Small
Automatable· derived
No
Human Impact· derived
High

Priority Score

34
Low Medium High Critical
KEV: 0
EPSS: 0
CVSS: +34
PoC: 0
Weaponized: 0
Threat intel: 0
Gov advisory: 0

Attack Technique

A buffer overflow occurs when a program writes more data to a memory buffer than it was allocated to hold, causing the excess data to spill into adjacent memory regions.

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