CVE-2025-20957 is a high-severity vulnerability affecting Samsung Mobile Devices, specifically related to improper access control in the SmartManagerCN component prior to the SMR (Security Maintenance Release) May-2025 Release 1. The vulnerability is classified under CWE-284, which pertains to improper access control, indicating that the affected component does not adequately restrict access to privileged functions. In this case, a local attacker—meaning someone with physical or logical access to the device—can exploit this flaw to launch arbitrary activities with the privileges of SmartManagerCN. This component likely has elevated permissions on the device, potentially allowing the attacker to perform sensitive operations that should be restricted. The CVSS 3.1 base score is 7.3, reflecting a high severity level. The vector string (AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:H/A:L) indicates that the attack requires local access (AV:L), has low attack complexity (AC:L), does not require privileges (PR:N) or user interaction (UI:N), and impacts confidentiality (C:L), integrity (I:H), and availability (A:L) to varying degrees. The vulnerability does not require prior authentication or user interaction, making it more dangerous in scenarios where an attacker gains local access. Although no known exploits are currently reported in the wild, the potential for misuse exists given the elevated privileges that can be gained. The lack of patch links suggests that users should monitor Samsung’s official security advisories for updates and patches addressing this issue.

For European organizations, the impact of CVE-2025-20957 can be significant, especially for those relying heavily on Samsung mobile devices for business operations, communications, and sensitive data handling. The ability for a local attacker to execute arbitrary activities with elevated privileges could lead to unauthorized access to confidential corporate data, manipulation or corruption of critical information, and disruption of device availability. This could facilitate further lateral movement within corporate networks if devices are connected to enterprise environments, potentially compromising broader IT infrastructure. Additionally, industries with strict data protection regulations such as GDPR may face compliance risks and reputational damage if such vulnerabilities are exploited to leak or alter personal data. The vulnerability’s exploitation could also undermine device integrity, affecting trust in mobile device management and security policies within organizations. Given the widespread use of Samsung devices in Europe, especially in sectors like finance, healthcare, and government, the threat could have broad operational and security implications.

To mitigate this vulnerability effectively, European organizations should: 1) Immediately inventory and identify all Samsung mobile devices in use to assess exposure. 2) Monitor Samsung’s official security advisories and apply the SMR May-2025 Release 1 or later updates as soon as they become available to patch the vulnerability. 3) Restrict physical and logical access to mobile devices, enforcing strong device access controls such as biometric locks, PINs, and remote wipe capabilities to reduce the risk of local exploitation. 4) Implement Mobile Device Management (MDM) solutions that can enforce security policies, detect anomalous behavior, and remotely manage device configurations. 5) Educate users about the risks of local device access by unauthorized individuals and enforce policies that prevent device sharing or unsecured storage. 6) Consider additional endpoint detection and response (EDR) tools tailored for mobile devices to identify suspicious activities related to privilege escalation. 7) For highly sensitive environments, evaluate the use of device hardening techniques and restrict installation of untrusted applications that could facilitate local attacks.