Security readout for executives and security teams
Plain-English summary
CVE-2018-21039 describes a Samsung Android 7.0 lockscreen bypass tied to Quick Tools compass access when Location permission is present. The bundle does not provide CVSS, CWE, model list, patch details, or proof of exploitation, so urgency depends on whether legacy Samsung Android 7.0 devices remain in use.
Executive priority
Treat this as a legacy mobile risk. It is potentially serious because lockscreen bypass affects device confidentiality, but incomplete public details and no exploitation evidence prevent a higher confidence severity call.
Technical view
The reported flaw is Samsung SVE-2018-12053 from December 2018. On Samsung mobile devices with N(7.0) software, the Quick Tools compass feature can use Location permission in a way that allows lockscreen bypass. Public source details are sparse and do not identify exact models or exploit mechanics.
Likely exposure
Exposure is likely limited to Samsung mobile devices running Android N(7.0) with the affected Quick Tools compass behavior. The provided sources do not name specific models, regions, firmware builds, or supported patch levels.
Exploitation context
The source bundle does not show CISA KEV listing or any cited evidence of active exploitation. It only states that an attacker can bypass the lockscreen under the described permission condition.
Researcher notes
Key gaps are missing CVSS, CWE, affected model/build matrix, patch confirmation, and exploit status. Avoid assuming all Samsung devices are affected; scope validation should start with Android 7.0 Samsung firmware and Samsung bulletin mapping for SVE-2018-12053.
Mitigation direction
- Check Samsung guidance for SVE-2018-12053 and apply relevant vendor updates.
- Inventory Samsung Android 7.0 devices and prioritize them for update or replacement.
- If updates are unavailable, remove affected devices from sensitive business use.
- Review Quick Tools, compass, and Location permission exposure on legacy devices.
Validation and detection
- Identify Samsung devices still running Android N(7.0).
- Confirm each device firmware includes Samsung's December 2018 or later applicable security update.
- Check whether Quick Tools compass is present and Location permission is enabled.
- Document unsupported devices that cannot receive vendor remediation.
Public sources used
Generated from the cited source records. This long-tail analysis has not been individually reviewed by a named human.
Conservative CVE-to-ATT&CK context
These mappings and lookup hints may be relevant to the vulnerability behavior, CWE, affected product, or exposure path. Glexia-inferred context is not an official MITRE, ATT&CK, CWE, or CVE Program mapping.
ATT&CK lookup starting points
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CVE-2018-21039 mapping review
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Open ATT&CK lookup- Severity
- Unknown
- CVSS
- Not scored
- Known Exploited
- No
- Published
CNA and ADP enrichment extracted from CVE v5
These fields come from the CVE record and ADP containers, not from Glexia's Take. They preserve time-varying source decisions such as CISA SSVC, KEV status, CVSS metrics, and provider references.
CVSS and timeline data
No CVSS vectors or timeline events were available in the normalized CVE source material.
Source materials
- CVE List V5 sourceCVE List V5
- https://security.samsungmobile.com/securityUpdate.smsbCVE reference · x_refsource_CONFIRM
Products and packages named in the record
CWE details
CWE links open Glexia weakness intelligence pages with official CWE context, developer remediation guidance, and related CVE mappings.