CVE-2026-21027: Samsung ImsSettings Local Integrity Vulnerability – Patch & Analysis

Technical summary

The vulnerability stems from inadequate access controls on ImsSettings application components that are exposed to the Android system without proper permission enforcement. An attacker with local access and low privileges can invoke these components to trigger unintended logging behavior. The CVSS 3.1 vector (AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:L/A:N) reflects the local attack surface, low complexity, requirement for user-level privileges, and limited integrity impact with no confidentiality or availability consequences. This is patched in the Samsung Mobile Release (SMR) June 2026 Release 1 or later.

Business impact

For most organizations, this vulnerability presents minimal direct business risk. It requires an attacker to first compromise local device access and possess active user privileges—a prerequisite that typically indicates a more serious intrusion is already underway. The integrity impact is confined to log manipulation, which could obscure evidence of other malicious activity but does not enable data exfiltration or service disruption. Devices running outdated Samsung firmware remain at modest risk if shared among untrusted users or in environments where physical device security is weak.

Affected systems

The vulnerability affects a broad range of Samsung Android devices running ImsSettings prior to the June 2026 SMR Release 1. Verify the exact device models and firmware versions against Samsung's official security advisory, as the vendor list provided contains multiple Samsung Android entries without granular version details. Users should check their device's build date and security patch level (Settings > About Phone > Security Patch Level) to determine if they are running a vulnerable release.

Exploitability

Exploitation requires local access to the device and active user-level privileges—realistic only in scenarios such as a shared device, workplace computer already compromised by malware, or an attacker with physical possession. Public exploit code is not known to be available, and the low severity rating reflects the limited real-world attack feasibility and impact. An insider threat or a secondary compromise of a device already running malware would be the typical exploitation pathway.

Remediation

Apply the Samsung Mobile Release (SMR) June 2026 Release 1 or any subsequent security patch to affected devices. Check Settings > Software Update on your device to initiate automatic updates, or manually download the latest firmware from Samsung's support portal. Users unable to update immediately should monitor device access controls, disable unnecessary app permissions, and avoid allowing untrusted users local access to their devices.

Patch guidance

Samsung released the fix as part of the June 2026 SMR Release 1. Organizations managing Samsung device fleets should prioritize deployment of this update through mobile device management (MDM) solutions to ensure uniform patching. Verify patch status by checking the security patch date reported in device settings—any build dated June 2026 or later should include the fix. Confirm against Samsung's official release notes to avoid ambiguity with interim or regional releases.

Detection guidance

Network-based detection is challenging given the local-only attack surface. Device-level monitoring should focus on access to ImsSettings components by unauthorized processes and unusual logging output from the IMS subsystem. Organizations running enterprise security suites on Samsung devices can enable component access auditing via Knox security features to flag abnormal invocations. Log aggregation from affected devices may reveal suspicious patterns if an attacker is actively manipulating logs.

Why prioritize this

Although marked as LOW severity, this vulnerability should be addressed through standard patch management cycles rather than emergency remediation. Prioritize devices in high-risk scenarios (shared workstations, devices with multiple user accounts, field-deployed devices with physical security concerns) before updating others. The low CVSS score and lack of public exploits mean this is not an immediate crisis, but it should not be deferred indefinitely.

Risk score, explained

The CVSS 3.1 score of 3.3 (LOW) is justified by the convergence of multiple limiting factors: local attack vector (no remote exploitation), requirement for user-level privileges, no confidentiality impact, minimal integrity impact (logging manipulation only), and no availability impact. While integrity is impacted, the scope and practical consequence are bounded. The absence of the vulnerability from CISA's Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEV) catalog further supports its low exploitation likelihood in the wild.

Frequently asked questions