Samsung Mobile Devices: Improper input validation in HEIF decoder library
Summary
Improper input validation in the HEIF image parsing component libsimba.heifdec.media.samsung.so of Samsung mobile devices allows a local attacker to potentially execute arbitrary code. The attack requires local access and no privileges; the CVSS vector also assumes no user interaction, so a malicious app or a crafted file that reaches the decoder is the realistic path. Samsung's October 2026 security update fixes the issue.
Affected
- Samsung Mobile Devices on Android 14, 15, 16 and 17 with firmware prior to SMR Oct-2026 Release 1 (default: affected)
- Per-model affected builds: Unknown (check Samsung's bulletin)
Fixed in
- SMR Oct-2026 Release 1 (October 2026 security update)
Workaround
- No vendor-documented workaround. Unknown for unpatched devices.
Exploitation
- No evidence of known exploitation in the wild found; not listed in CISA KEV.
- CISA SSVC: Exploitation none, Automatable no, Technical Impact total.
- No public proof of concept found.
- Severity differs: CVSS 4.0 8.6 (NVD/Vulners) versus CVSS base score 8.8 (VulDB).
Our recommendation
- Confirm via MDM that managed devices run SMR Oct-2026 Release 1 or later.
- Prioritise updates for devices that handle sensitive data or run unmanaged apps.
- Deploy the October 2026 update anyway, as it also fixes further Android flaws.
- Monitor CISA KEV and vendor advisories for exploitation updates.
Public exploits
PoC-in-GitHub, Metasploit and Exploit-DB list nothing for this CVE.
Research sources
- Samsung Mobile Security Bulletin October 2026 security.samsungmobile.com
- NVD entry (via Vulners) vulners.com
- VulDB CVE entry vuldb.com
- VulDB vulnerability entry vuldb.com
- Android Headlines: Samsung October 2026 security update www.androidheadlines.com
- SammyFans: October 2026 update availability www.sammyfans.com
- Dijitalturk: Samsung October 2026 security update dijitalturk.com
Researched and written up in English and German by an AI (Claude by Anthropic) based on NVD, CISA, EPSS and the sources listed. The vendor information is authoritative. Researched on 1 Nov 2026, 08:52.
Original description (NVD)
Improper input validation in parsing sheifd in libsimba.heifdec.media.samsung.so prior to SMR Oct-2026 Release 1 allows local attackers to potentially execute arbitrary code.
Sources
The tracker combines official, freely usable data sources – updated continuously:
- NVD (NIST) – CVEs, rating (CVSS), affected products
- CISA KEV – vulnerabilities confirmed by CISA as actively exploited
- CISA Vulnrichment – CISA assessment (SSVC) in the official CVE record
- FIRST EPSS – probability of exploitation
- Microsoft MSRC – Patch Tuesday: vulnerabilities, severity, updates
- PoC-in-GitHub – public proof-of-concept repositories
- Metasploit (Rapid7) – modules of the Metasploit Framework
- Exploit-DB (OffSec) – archive of public exploits (links only)
- Patch days: official vendor pages (linked per vendor) (Vendor patch days)
This product uses data from the NVD API but is not endorsed or certified by the NVD. EPSS data © FIRST.org.
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