CVE-2025-20765 is a race condition vulnerability classified under CWE-362, affecting a wide range of MediaTek chipsets including MT2718 through MT8698 series. The vulnerability exists in the aee daemon, a system-level process responsible for error handling and logging on devices using these chipsets. Due to improper synchronization when accessing shared resources concurrently, a race condition can occur, leading to a system crash. This crash results in a local denial of service (DoS) condition. Exploitation requires the attacker to have already obtained System-level privileges on the device, but no user interaction is needed, making automated exploitation feasible once privileges are gained. The affected platforms include Android versions 14.0, 15.0, and 16.0, as well as openWRT 21.02 and 23.05, and Yocto 4.0, indicating a broad impact across embedded and mobile devices. The CVSS v3.1 base score is 4.7 (medium severity), reflecting the limited attack vector (local), high attack complexity, and requirement for low privileges but no confidentiality or integrity impact, only availability. No public exploits are known at this time, and no patch links were provided, but MediaTek has assigned a patch ID (ALPS10190802) and issue ID (MSV-4833) indicating remediation efforts are underway. The vulnerability could be leveraged by malicious actors who have already compromised the device to cause instability or denial of service, potentially disrupting operations or requiring device reboots.

For European organizations, the impact primarily concerns availability disruption on devices using affected MediaTek chipsets. This includes smartphones, IoT devices, embedded systems, and network equipment running Android, openWRT, or Yocto with these chipsets. A successful exploit could cause system crashes leading to denial of service, which may interrupt critical communications, data collection, or operational technology processes. Although exploitation requires prior system-level access, attackers who have gained such privileges could leverage this vulnerability to maintain persistence by causing instability or forcing device reboots. This could affect sectors relying on embedded devices such as telecommunications, manufacturing, smart city infrastructure, and critical communications. The lack of confidentiality or integrity impact limits data breach risks, but availability interruptions can still cause operational and reputational damage. Additionally, the broad range of affected chipsets means many device manufacturers and vendors across Europe could be impacted, increasing the attack surface.

European organizations should first identify devices using the affected MediaTek chipsets and running impacted OS versions (Android 14-16, openWRT 21.02/23.05, Yocto 4.0). Coordinate with device vendors and manufacturers to obtain and apply patches as soon as they become available, referencing MediaTek patch ID ALPS10190802. Until patches are deployed, restrict access to devices to trusted users only, minimizing the risk of privilege escalation to System level. Implement strict privilege management and monitoring to detect any unauthorized elevation of privileges. Employ runtime protection and anomaly detection to identify abnormal daemon crashes or system instability that could indicate exploitation attempts. For embedded and IoT devices, ensure secure boot and firmware integrity checks to prevent unauthorized modifications. Network segmentation can limit the spread of attacks if devices become unstable. Finally, maintain up-to-date inventories of affected hardware and software to prioritize remediation efforts effectively.