Security readout for executives and security teams
Plain-English summary
A Samsung clipboard service access-control flaw could let an untrusted local app read or write certain local files on affected Samsung mobile devices. The technical severity is medium, but CISA lists it in the Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog, so unpatched devices should be treated as a practical business risk.
Executive priority
Treat this as a high-priority mobile patching issue because CISA identifies it as exploited. The business action is straightforward: find older Samsung devices, confirm patch level, and remove unsupported devices from sensitive workflows.
Technical view
CVE-2021-25337 is CWE-269 improper privilege management in Samsung Mobile clipboard service before SMR Mar-2021 Release 1. It affects selected Android P(9.0), Q(10.0), and R(11.0) Samsung devices. The CVSS 3.1 vector is local, low complexity, no privileges, user interaction required, with low confidentiality and integrity impact.
Likely exposure
Exposure is most likely on older Samsung Android 9, 10, or 11 devices that have not received Samsung SMR Mar-2021 Release 1 or later. Enterprise risk depends on managed-device coverage, patch levels, and whether users can install untrusted applications.
Exploitation context
CISA KEV status indicates known exploitation, but the provided sources do not describe campaigns, exploit maturity, targets, or indicators. The CVSS vector requires local access through an application context and user interaction, which limits scale but still matters for mobile fleets.
Researcher notes
The provided evidence identifies affected OS generations and the fixed Samsung monthly release, but not specific models, exploit indicators, or root cause internals. Avoid assuming broader Android exposure; the source scope is Samsung Mobile clipboard service only.
Mitigation direction
- Apply Samsung SMR Mar-2021 Release 1 or later to affected devices.
- Check Samsung guidance for device-specific patch availability and scope.
- Restrict installation of untrusted or sideloaded applications on managed devices.
- Retire or isolate unsupported Samsung devices that cannot receive the relevant update.
- Prioritize remediation for devices handling sensitive corporate data or privileged access.
Validation and detection
- Inventory Samsung devices by model, Android version, and security patch level.
- Confirm affected devices are updated to SMR Mar-2021 Release 1 or later.
- Use MDM reporting to identify unmanaged or stale-patch mobile endpoints.
- Review mobile threat defense alerts for suspicious local-app behavior, if available.
- Document unsupported devices and compensating controls.
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
Use these exact CWE pages and searches to review the Glexia ATT&CK library from this CVE's weakness and description context.
CWE-269: Authorization and privilege behavior lookup
Authorization weaknesses can support privilege escalation and valid-account review, depending on exploit path. Open the exact CWE lookup page first, then review the ATT&CK searches from that MITRE weakness context. This is a Glexia lookup hint, not an official ATT&CK mapping.
Open ATT&CK lookupCVE-2021-25337 mapping review
Open the CVE-to-ATT&CK bridge for reviewed, inferred, or future official mappings tied to this CVE.
Open ATT&CK lookup- Severity
- Medium
- CVSS
- 4.4 (3.1)
- Known Exploited
- Yes
- Published
Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:L/I:L/A:N
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.
CISA KEV status
CVSS vector scores
1 official scoreWe collect every scored CVSS vector available in the official CNA and ADP containers. When more than one version is present, the table keeps the source vectors side by side instead of collapsing them into the highest score.
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:L/I:L/A:N1.82.5Primary CVE scoreVulnerability scoring details
Base CVSS 3.1 score
4.4MediumVector: CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:L/I:L/A:N
Source materials
- CVE List V5 sourceCVE List V5
- https://security.samsungmobile.com/securityUpdate.smsbCVE reference · x_refsource_CONFIRM
- https://security.samsungmobile.com/CVE reference · x_refsource_MISC
- https://www.cisa.gov/known-exploited-vulnerabilities-catalog?field_cve=CVE-2021-25337CVE reference · government-resource
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.
Improper Privilege Management
Improper Privilege Management represents a recurring weakness pattern that can create exploitable paths when design, validation, or implementation controls are missing.