Physical Knox Guard bypass via exceptional-condition mishandling
Published Apr 13, 2026 · Updated Apr 13, 2026
Improper exceptional-condition handling in Samsung Mobile Devices before SMR Apr-2026 Release 1 allows physical attackers to bypass Knox Guard. Device Care performs an improper check when an exceptional condition occurs; Samsung has not disclosed the affected code path or the condition that triggers the bypass. Physical possession and a specific additional attack condition are required, and the bypass compromises device integrity and availability without disclosed data exposure.
Summary
What happened
Improper exceptional-condition handling in Samsung Mobile Devices before SMR Apr-2026 Release 1 allows physical attackers to bypass Knox Guard. Device Care performs an improper check when an exceptional condition occurs; Samsung has not disclosed the affected code path or the condition that triggers the bypass. Physical possession and a specific additional attack condition are required, and the bypass compromises device integrity and availability without disclosed data exposure.
The record
- CVE
- CVE-2026-21007
- Published
- Apr 13, 2026
- Updated
- Apr 13, 2026
- Vendor
- Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.
- Product
- Samsung Mobile Devices
- Classifications
- CWE-754, T1562.001
- Attack vector
- physical
- Privileges
- unauthenticated
Timeline
How it unfolded
- Apr 13, 2026CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
- Apr 13, 2026Record updatedLatest update available in the CVE record.
Exploitability
Present is not the same as exploitable
Compare your product and version with the public record. A matching version still requires validation against your environment.
Is a vulnerable build present?
Affected versions are unavailable in this record. Check the vendor advisory for version and patch details.
What conditions does exploitation require?
What is affected?
Published CVSS scores
CVSS describes severity. EPSS estimates exploitation probability.
Attacks
What attackers are doing with it
Daily unique IPs observed by Shadowserver honeypots for known exploited vulnerabilities (KEVs). Missing observations do not establish an absence of attacks.
Weakness, pattern, technique
Public exploit references
No public exploit references are available in this record.
Labels summarize the accepted research assessment. They do not indicate a test against your environment.
Technologies
Your stack
See the directory against your own environment.
Your stack
Check the software in your environment
Book a demo to see how Hinoki identifies affected software and validates exploitability in your environment.
Book a demo