CVE-2025-20962 is a medium-severity vulnerability identified in Samsung Mobile Devices, specifically related to the SpenGesture service. This vulnerability arises from improper authorization controls (CWE-285) within the SpenGesture service prior to the Samsung Mobile Security Release (SMR) May-2025 Release 1. The flaw allows local attackers—those with physical or logical access to the device—to track the position of the S Pen stylus without requiring any privileges or user interaction. The vulnerability is classified with a CVSS 3.1 base score of 4.0, indicating a low to medium impact primarily on confidentiality, with no impact on integrity or availability. The attack vector is local (AV:L), meaning exploitation requires local access to the device, and the attack complexity is low (AC:L), with no privileges required (PR:N) and no user interaction needed (UI:N). Exploiting this vulnerability could allow an attacker to monitor user input patterns or movements of the S Pen, potentially leaking sensitive user behavior or input data. However, there are no known exploits in the wild at the time of publication, and no patches have been linked yet. The vulnerability is limited to Samsung Mobile Devices that have the affected SpenGesture service versions prior to the May-2025 SMR update. The issue does not affect device integrity or availability but poses a privacy risk by leaking positional data of the S Pen, which could be leveraged for user tracking or profiling.

For European organizations, the primary impact of this vulnerability lies in privacy and confidentiality concerns. Organizations that provide Samsung Mobile Devices to employees, especially those using the S Pen for sensitive input (e.g., design, note-taking, or secure communications), may face risks of unauthorized tracking of stylus movements. This could lead to leakage of sensitive information or user behavior patterns, potentially violating GDPR regulations concerning personal data protection. While the vulnerability does not allow remote exploitation or compromise device integrity, the local nature of the attack means that physical access or malware with local execution capabilities is required, limiting the scope of impact. However, in high-security environments or sectors such as government, finance, or critical infrastructure within Europe, even this level of privacy leakage could be significant. The lack of known exploits reduces immediate risk, but organizations should remain vigilant, especially those with mobile workforces or BYOD policies involving Samsung devices with S Pen functionality.

European organizations should prioritize updating Samsung Mobile Devices to the May-2025 SMR Release 1 or later, as this release addresses the improper authorization issue in the SpenGesture service. Until patches are available, organizations should implement strict physical security controls to prevent unauthorized local access to devices. Endpoint protection solutions that monitor and restrict local application behavior could help detect or block attempts to exploit this vulnerability. Additionally, organizations should audit and limit the installation of untrusted applications that could leverage local access to exploit the flaw. User awareness training about the risks of leaving devices unattended or connecting to untrusted peripherals can further reduce exposure. For environments with high confidentiality requirements, consider disabling S Pen functionality if feasible or restricting its use to trusted personnel. Monitoring device logs for unusual S Pen activity or unauthorized access attempts may provide early detection of exploitation attempts.