# CVE-2024-20853: Path traversal in ThemeStore

> Local attackers can write arbitrary files to the ThemeStore sandbox due to improper intent verification in the broadcast receiver.

- **Severity:** Medium 5.1 (`CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:L/A:L`)
- **Exploited in the wild:** Not known
- **Login needed:** Not needed
- **Attackable:** Local or same network only
- **Victim action needed:** Not needed
- **Fix available:** No
- **Published:** 2 Apr 2024
- **Updated:** 26 Aug 2025
- **Also known as:** GHSA-j4j9-wc5g-p586

## What is CVE-2024-20853?

CVE-2024-20853 is a medium-severity path traversal vulnerability in Samsung Mobile ThemeStore, published on 2 Apr 2024. It can only be exploited from the same machine or local network, with no action from the victim.

### Official description

Improper verification of intent by broadcast receiver vulnerability in ThemeStore prior to 5.3.05.2 allows local attackers to write arbitrary files to sandbox of ThemeStore.

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2024-20853?

It affects 1 product.


Products: Samsung Galaxy Themes.

## How do I fix CVE-2024-20853?

No fix has been published for CVE-2024-20853 yet. Limit exposure of the affected software until one is available.

## Is CVE-2024-20853 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2024-20853 in the wild and no public exploit code.

## Other vulnerabilities in Samsung Mobile ThemeStore

- [CVE-2021-25353](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2021-25353/): Missing authorization in Galaxy Themes (medium 5.5)

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2024-20853 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2024-20853 is a medium-severity path traversal vulnerability in Samsung Mobile ThemeStore, published on 2 Apr 2024. It can only be exploited from the same machine or local network, with no action from the victim.
Exploitation: There is no known exploitation of CVE-2024-20853 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Affected product: Samsung Mobile ThemeStore. No package-level version data is available, so check the vendor advisory linked from the reference page.

Task:
1. Search the dependency manifests and lockfiles (for example package.json, package-lock.json, requirements.txt, poetry.lock, uv.lock, pom.xml, build.gradle, go.mod, Cargo.lock, Gemfile.lock) and any Dockerfiles for the affected packages, including transitive dependencies.
2. If an affected version is in use, upgrade it to the fixed version for its release line with the project's package manager, so the lockfile is regenerated. Prefer the smallest upgrade that fixes it.
3. If there is no fix, or the upgrade would break the build, do not guess: explain the risk and the safest workaround instead.
4. Run the tests and summarise what changed and why.
5. If nothing in the project is affected, say so and change nothing.

Reference: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2024-20853/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2024-20853/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2024-20853
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2024-20853
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2024-20853

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2024-20853/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.