# What is CVE-2019-6740?

> CVE-2019-6740 is a high-severity flaw (CVSS 8.8) in Galaxy S9 from Samsung, published on 3 June 2019. It is not on the list of flaws known to be exploited today. The latest forecast puts its chance of use in the next 30 days at 3.3%. If you run an affected version, plan in the vendor’s fix.

Canonical page: https://www.precursorintelligence.com/what-is/cve-2019-6740

## At a glance

- **Verdict:** Plan it in. No sign of exploitation and a low forecast. Patch it in your normal update cycle.
- **Precursor Intelligence risk score:** 48 out of 100 (Medium); action: Plan remediation. Kept up to date as the evidence changes.
- **Severity:** High (CVSS 8.8 out of 10)
- **Known to be exploited:** No, not on the list of flaws known to be exploited today
- **Chance of use in the next 30 days:** 3.3% (latest exploit-likelihood forecast)
- **Published:** 3 June 2019
- **Record last updated:** 6 October 2020
- **Main product:** Galaxy S9 from Samsung
- **Affected products:** 2

## What is CVE-2019-6740? In plain terms

It can be attacked from anywhere on the internet without logging in, but a person has to take an action first. If it works, the attacker can read data, change data and take it offline.

### The official description

This vulnerability allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code on vulnerable installations of Samsung Galaxy S9 prior to January 2019 Security Update (SMR-JAN-2019 - SVE-2018-13467). User interaction is required to exploit this vulnerability in that the target must visit a malicious page or open a malicious file. The specific flaw exists within the ASN.1 parser. When parsing ASN.1 strings, the process does not properly validate the length of user-supplied data prior to copying it to a fixed-length heap-based buffer. An attacker can leverage this vulnerability to execute code in the context of the current process. Was ZDI-CAN-7472.

### What kind of flaw is it?

- CWE-122: Heap-based Buffer Overflow
- CWE-787: Out-of-bounds Write

### How an attack on it works

- Where an attacker can be: Anywhere on the internet
- How hard it is to pull off: Easy: no special conditions
- Login needed first: No login needed
- Does someone have to click: Yes, a person has to take an action
- What an attacker gets: Can read data, change data and take it offline

Severity vector: `CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H`

## Is CVE-2019-6740 being exploited? Not that we know of

It is not on the list of flaws known to be exploited today. The latest forecast puts the chance of it being used in the next 30 days at 3.3%. That can change at any time, which is why we keep watching.

Exploit likelihood over the last 7 days: 3.3%, 3.3%, 3.3%, 3.3%, 3.3%, 3.3%, 3.3%.

### Timeline

- 3 June 2019: Published
- 6 October 2020: Record last updated

### How Precursor Intelligence ranks it

CVE-2019-6740 scores **48 out of 100 (Medium)**, with the action "Plan remediation".

Every published flaw gets a risk score from 0 to 100, kept up to date as the evidence changes. Four things go into the score, from the one that counts most to the ones that count less:

- Evidence it is being exploited: biggest factor
- How severe it is: strong factor
- How widely exposed it is: key context
- Real threat activity around it: key context

85 and above is Critical. Anything confirmed as exploited is always marked for an emergency patch, whatever its score. When this flaw matches software you track, it lands in your list with its score and the reasons behind it.

## Who is affected by CVE-2019-6740?

The published record lists 2 products. Versions are as published: "before 2019-01" means every version up to, but not including, 2019-01.

- [Galaxy S9](https://www.precursorintelligence.com/product/samsung/galaxy_s9) by [Samsung](https://www.precursorintelligence.com/vendors/samsung) (Hardware): version not specified
- [Galaxy S9 Firmware](https://www.precursorintelligence.com/product/samsung/galaxy_s9_firmware) by [Samsung](https://www.precursorintelligence.com/vendors/samsung) (Operating system): before 2019-01

## How do I fix CVE-2019-6740?

1. **Check whether you run it.** Compare your versions with the affected products above. Not sure what you run? Precursor Intelligence can work it out from your public website, or you can pick it from a list.
2. **Apply the vendor’s fix.** Install the latest update from the vendor. The references list where the vendor has published details.
3. **If you can’t patch today.** Follow any mitigation the vendor publishes, and limit who can reach the affected system from the internet until the update is in.
4. **Keep an eye on it.** Track the product and we tell you as soon as we spot this flaw on the list of exploited flaws, or a jump in its exploit likelihood.

### References

- [zerodayinitiative.com](https://www.zerodayinitiative.com/advisories/ZDI-19-253/) (Third-party advisory, Vulnerability database)

## Questions

### What is CVE-2019-6740?

CVE-2019-6740 is a high-severity flaw in Galaxy S9 from Samsung, published on 3 June 2019. It can be attacked from anywhere on the internet without logging in, but a person has to take an action first. If it works, the attacker can read data, change data and take it offline.

### How serious is CVE-2019-6740?

It scores 8.8 out of 10 on the CVSS severity scale, which is high. Our risk score for CVE-2019-6740 is 48 out of 100, which is Medium. Its action is "Plan remediation". No sign of exploitation and a low forecast. Patch it in your normal update cycle.

### Is CVE-2019-6740 being exploited?

It is not on the list of flaws known to be exploited today. The latest forecast puts the chance of it being used in the next 30 days at 3.3%. That can change at any time, which is why we keep watching.

### Which versions does CVE-2019-6740 affect?

For Galaxy S9 from Samsung: version not specified. The record lists 2 products in all, each with its versions, under "Who is affected" on this page.

### How do I fix CVE-2019-6740?

Install the update the vendor names in its advisory. If you can't patch today, follow the vendor's mitigation and limit who can reach the affected system from the internet.

## Does CVE-2019-6740 affect you?

Precursor Intelligence keeps checking for you:

- **Tell us what you run.** Pick your software from a list, or let us work it out from your website.
- **We match it to every flaw.** Over 400,000 published flaws, checked against your list.
- **Ranked by real-world risk.** Every flaw gets a 0 to 100 risk score, kept up to date, led by evidence criminals are using it.
- **Told as soon as we know.** An alert by email, in the app or by webhook to your own tools.

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