Unsafe PendingIntent enables unauthorized actions in Samsung Notes

Using unsafe PendingIntent in Samsung Notes prior to version 4.2.00.22 allows local attackers unauthorized action without permission via hijacking the PendingIntent.

• Samsung Mobile Samsung Notes: versions before 4.2.00.22 are identified as affected.
• Samsung identifies 4.2.00.22 as the resolved version.
• The record does not provide separate Android branches, parallel version ranges, or other deployment scope, so the status of branches not listed should not be inferred.

The flaw is an authorization failure (CWE-285) in the Android PendingIntent mechanism used by Samsung Notes. The application creates or exposes an unsafe PendingIntent, allowing a local attacker to hijack the delegated token and cause an operation to run without the intended permission. The record establishes local reachability, low attack complexity, low required privileges, and no user interaction. The available evidence does not identify the specific PendingIntent, target component, authorized action, or attacker-controlled data, so the detailed exploit path and affected functionality remain unknown.

The flaw is locally reachable and is not described as directly exploitable over a network. The supplied assessment characterizes the attack as requiring low privileges, low complexity, and no user interaction. An attacker must have a local application or context capable of reaching the PendingIntent, but the available evidence does not define that access condition in more detail. Actual exploitation status and the existence of a public exploit are not established by the available evidence.

The flaw breaks the authorization boundary around an operation delegated through PendingIntent, allowing a low-privilege local application to cause Samsung Notes to perform an action on behalf of the intended caller. The confirmed technical outcome is an unauthorized action without the corresponding permission. Organisational consequences may include unauthorized state changes or access to functionality, depending on what operation the hijacked PendingIntent represents. The record does not establish whether a particular note, file, account, or device function can be read, modified, or disrupted.

• A local attacker may cause Samsung Notes to perform an action outside the permissions intended for that attacker.
• The practical effect may involve data, application state, or a function delegated through the PendingIntent, but the available evidence does not identify the specific operation.
• Because user interaction is not required, a low-privilege local application may be able to use the flaw without requiring the user to approve each step.
• The detailed effect on data confidentiality, integrity, or service availability cannot be determined from the available description.

1. Update Samsung Notes to the version Samsung identifies as resolving the flaw: 4.2.00.22.
2. Verify the actual application version on each device or through application-management systems after deployment, because update timing can vary by device and configuration.
3. Prioritize devices still running versions before 4.2.00.22 and limit installation or continued use of untrusted applications on those devices until the update is complete.
4. No separate temporary mitigation or specific workaround is provided in the available evidence.

• Inventory devices that have Samsung Notes installed and record the actual application version from application details or device-management data.
• Compare the installed version with the affected branch and verify that the update was successfully deployed, rather than relying only on deployment status.
• Review untrusted or low-privilege applications installed on devices that remain within the affected scope, because exploitation requires local access.
• No specific log event, IOC, or forensic pattern is provided for this flaw. Monitoring unusual Samsung Notes activity is precautionary, and the absence of related events does not prove that a device is safe.