CVE-2025-12351 is a medium-severity authorization bypass vulnerability identified in Honeywell S35 series cameras, including 3M, 5M, 8M, Pinhole, and Kit models. The root cause lies in CWE-639 (Authorization Bypass Through User-Controlled Key) and CWE-668 (Exposure of Resource to Wrong Sphere), where an attacker can manipulate a user-controlled key to bypass authorization checks. This flaw enables privilege escalation from low-privileged users to administrative privileges without requiring user interaction, but network access is necessary. The vulnerability impacts confidentiality and integrity by allowing unauthorized access to administrative functionalities, potentially enabling attackers to alter camera configurations, disable security features, or access sensitive video feeds. Availability is not directly affected. The CVSS 3.1 vector (AV:N/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:N) indicates network attack vector, high attack complexity, low privileges required, no user interaction, unchanged scope, and high confidentiality and integrity impact. Honeywell has released firmware updates in August 2025 for all affected camera variants to address this issue. No public exploits have been reported yet, but the vulnerability's nature makes it a significant risk for organizations relying on these cameras for security monitoring. The vulnerability underscores the importance of secure authorization mechanisms in IoT and surveillance devices.

For European organizations, the impact of CVE-2025-12351 can be significant, especially for those deploying Honeywell S35 cameras in critical infrastructure, government facilities, transportation hubs, or corporate environments. Unauthorized administrative access could lead to manipulation or disabling of surveillance systems, compromising physical security and enabling further attacks or espionage. Confidential video data could be exposed or tampered with, violating privacy regulations such as GDPR. The integrity of security monitoring is undermined, potentially delaying detection of physical intrusions or malicious activities. While availability is not directly impacted, the loss of trust in surveillance systems can have operational consequences. Organizations in sectors like energy, finance, public safety, and manufacturing are particularly at risk due to the strategic importance of their facilities and the likelihood of targeted attacks. The medium severity rating suggests a moderate but actionable risk that should be addressed promptly to prevent exploitation.

1. Immediately update all affected Honeywell S35 series cameras to the latest firmware versions released in August 2025 as recommended by Honeywell. 2. Implement network segmentation to isolate surveillance devices from general corporate networks and restrict access to trusted management hosts only. 3. Enforce strong authentication and authorization policies on camera management interfaces, including multi-factor authentication where supported. 4. Regularly audit and monitor access logs for unusual administrative activities or unauthorized access attempts. 5. Disable or restrict remote management features if not required, minimizing the attack surface. 6. Employ intrusion detection/prevention systems (IDS/IPS) to detect anomalous network traffic targeting camera devices. 7. Maintain an up-to-date asset inventory to ensure all affected devices are identified and patched. 8. Conduct periodic security assessments and penetration tests focusing on IoT and surveillance infrastructure. 9. Train security personnel on the risks associated with IoT device vulnerabilities and incident response procedures. 10. Coordinate with Honeywell support for any additional security advisories or patches.