CVE-2024-20822 is a medium-severity vulnerability identified in Samsung Mobile's Galaxy Store application, specifically affecting versions prior to 4.5.63.6. The vulnerability is categorized under CWE-927, which involves the use of implicit intents for sensitive communication. In Android development, intents are messaging objects used to request actions from other app components. Implicit intents do not specify the target component explicitly, allowing the system to determine the appropriate component to handle the request. However, when implicit intents are used to transmit sensitive information, they can be intercepted or hijacked by malicious local applications that register for the same intent filters. In this case, the vulnerability resides in the AccountActivity component of the Galaxy Store app, where implicit intents are used to communicate sensitive data. A local attacker with access to the device can exploit this flaw by registering a malicious app or component that listens for these implicit intents, thereby gaining unauthorized access to sensitive information intended only for the Galaxy Store. The vulnerability does not require network access or remote exploitation, relying instead on local access to the device, which may be achieved through physical access or by tricking the user into installing a malicious app. There are no known exploits in the wild as of the publication date, and no official patches have been linked yet. The vulnerability was reserved in December 2023 and publicly disclosed in February 2024. The lack of a CVSS score suggests that the severity assessment is based on the potential impact and exploitation complexity rather than standardized scoring metrics.

For European organizations, the impact of CVE-2024-20822 primarily concerns confidentiality breaches on employee or corporate devices using Samsung Galaxy Store versions prior to 4.5.63.6. Sensitive information handled by the Galaxy Store's AccountActivity—potentially including user credentials, account tokens, or personal data—could be exposed to local malicious apps. This exposure risks unauthorized access to corporate accounts or services linked to the Galaxy Store, potentially leading to further lateral attacks or data leakage. Since exploitation requires local access, the threat is more significant in environments where device security is lax, such as organizations with Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) policies or insufficient mobile device management (MDM). The vulnerability could also facilitate privilege escalation or unauthorized app behavior if combined with other local exploits. Although the Galaxy Store is primarily a consumer-facing app, its presence on corporate devices means that sensitive business data could be indirectly compromised. The absence of known exploits reduces immediate risk, but the vulnerability's existence highlights the need for vigilance, especially in sectors with high regulatory requirements for data protection, such as finance, healthcare, and government institutions within Europe.

1. Immediate mitigation involves updating the Galaxy Store app to version 4.5.63.6 or later once the patch is released by Samsung. Organizations should monitor Samsung's official channels for patch announcements. 2. Employ Mobile Device Management (MDM) solutions to enforce app update policies and restrict installation of unauthorized or untrusted applications that could exploit local vulnerabilities. 3. Limit local device access by enforcing strong authentication mechanisms (PIN, biometric) and restricting physical access to corporate devices. 4. Conduct regular security awareness training to educate users about the risks of installing untrusted apps and the importance of applying updates promptly. 5. Implement application whitelisting where feasible to prevent installation of apps that could register for implicit intents maliciously. 6. Use Android's intent-filter verification and explicit intents in custom enterprise apps to avoid similar vulnerabilities. 7. Monitor device logs and behavior for unusual app interactions or intent hijacking attempts using endpoint detection and response (EDR) tools tailored for mobile devices. 8. For high-security environments, consider restricting the use of consumer app stores like Galaxy Store and instead use enterprise app stores with controlled app distribution.