Connect with us

Hi, what are you looking for?

SecurityWeekSecurityWeek

Mobile & Wireless

Samsung Galaxy Store Flaws Can Lead to Unwanted App Installations, Code Execution

Two vulnerabilities in Samsung’s Galaxy Store that could be exploited to install applications or execute JavaScript code by launching a web page.

Cybersecurity firm NCC Group has shared details on two vulnerabilities in Samsung’s Galaxy Store that could be exploited to install applications or execute JavaScript code by launching a web page.

An alternative app marketplace, the Galaxy Store comes pre-installed on Samsung’s Android devices and can be used alongside Google Play to download and install software.

Tracked as CVE-2023-21433, the first of the vulnerabilities that NCC Group has identified could allow rogue applications on a device to download and install additional software from the Galaxy Store, without the user’s knowledge.

The issue is described as an improper access control flaw, where the app store contained an exported activity that failed to safely handle incoming intents. The bug, NCC explains, only impacted devices running Android 12 and older.

The second vulnerability, CVE-2023-21434, is described as an improper input validation issue that could allow a local attacker to execute JavaScript code by launching a web page.

“It was found that a webview within the Galaxy App Store contained a filter which limited which domains that webview could browse to. However, the filter was not properly configured, which would allow the webview to browse to an attacker-controlled domain,” NCC Group explains.

The vulnerability can be exploited by tapping a malicious URL in Chrome or a pre-installed rogue application, which would bypass existing URL filtering.

The cybersecurity firm has published proof-of-concept (PoC) code for both these vulnerabilities.

Advertisement. Scroll to continue reading.

The security defects were reported to Samsung in November and December 2022. Both issues were addressed in Galaxy Store version 4.5.49.8.

Owners of Samsung devices running Android 12 or below are advised to update to the latest version of Galaxy Store as soon as possible.

Related: VMware Warns of Exploit for Recent NSX-V Vulnerability

Related: CISA Warns of Attacks Exploiting Recent Atlassian Bitbucket Vulnerability

Related: Owl Labs Patches Severe Vulnerability in Video Conferencing Devices

Written By

Ionut Arghire is an international correspondent for SecurityWeek.

Click to comment

Trending

Daily Briefing Newsletter

Subscribe to the SecurityWeek Email Briefing to stay informed on the latest threats, trends, and technology, along with insightful columns from industry experts.

Join the session as we discuss the challenges and best practices for cybersecurity leaders managing cloud identities.

Register

SecurityWeek’s Ransomware Resilience and Recovery Summit helps businesses to plan, prepare, and recover from a ransomware incident.

Register

Expert Insights

Related Content

Vulnerabilities

Less than a week after announcing that it would suspended service indefinitely due to a conflict with an (at the time) unnamed security researcher...

Data Breaches

OpenAI has confirmed a ChatGPT data breach on the same day a security firm reported seeing the use of a component affected by an...

IoT Security

A group of seven security researchers have discovered numerous vulnerabilities in vehicles from 16 car makers, including bugs that allowed them to control car...

Vulnerabilities

A researcher at IOActive discovered that home security systems from SimpliSafe are plagued by a vulnerability that allows tech savvy burglars to remotely disable...

Risk Management

The supply chain threat is directly linked to attack surface management, but the supply chain must be known and understood before it can be...

Cybercrime

Patch Tuesday: Microsoft calls attention to a series of zero-day remote code execution attacks hitting its Office productivity suite.

Vulnerabilities

Patch Tuesday: Microsoft warns vulnerability (CVE-2023-23397) could lead to exploitation before an email is viewed in the Preview Pane.

Vulnerabilities

The latest Chrome update brings patches for eight vulnerabilities, including seven reported by external researchers.