CVE‑2021‑25337: Samsung Mobile Devices Improper Access Control Vulnerability
What It Is – Samsung’s clipboard service on Android devices suffers an improper access‑control flaw that permits any installed application to read from or write to arbitrary files on the device. The issue can be chained with CVE‑2021‑25369 and CVE‑2021‑25370 to achieve broader impact.
Exploitability – Publicly disclosed; proof‑of‑concept code exists and can be executed by a malicious app without special privileges. CVSS v3.1 base score 7.8 (High).
Affected Products – Samsung Galaxy smartphones and tablets running Android 11 and earlier that include the vulnerable clipboard service.
Why It Matters for Trust & Control Assurance
- Demonstrates the need for continuous verification that endpoint devices enforce strict application sandboxing and least‑privilege access controls.
- Lack of proper controls can erode audit evidence of “defensible” device hygiene, a key requirement for enterprise procurement and regulatory reviews.
- Continuous monitoring of mobile‑device management (MDM) policies provides the evidence needed to prove that such access‑control gaps are identified and remediated promptly.
Recommended Actions
- Deploy Samsung’s security patch that resolves CVE‑2021‑25337 (and related CVEs) across all managed devices.
- Enforce strict app‑allow‑list policies via your MDM solution to block untrusted applications from accessing system services.
- Enable continuous compliance monitoring of device configurations and generate audit‑ready reports for any control deviations.
- Validate that your incident‑response playbooks include steps for rapid containment of malicious apps that exploit local privilege flaws.
Source: CISA KEV – CVE‑2021‑25337