CVE-2025-20972 is a medium-severity vulnerability identified in Samsung Flow, a software product by Samsung Mobile that facilitates seamless connectivity and data transfer between Samsung mobile devices and PCs. The vulnerability stems from improper verification of intent by a broadcast receiver component within Samsung Flow versions prior to 4.9.17.6. Broadcast receivers in Android listen for system-wide or application-specific intents to trigger certain actions. Improper verification means that the broadcast receiver does not adequately validate the source or content of incoming intents, allowing a local attacker to send crafted intents that can manipulate the application's configuration. This vulnerability does not require privileges or user interaction, making it easier for a local attacker to exploit. The CVSS 3.1 score is 6.2 (medium), with the vector indicating local attack vector (AV:L), low attack complexity (AC:L), no privileges required (PR:N), no user interaction (UI:N), unchanged scope (S:U), no confidentiality or integrity impact (C:N, I:N), but high impact on availability (A:H). This suggests that exploitation could disrupt Samsung Flow's availability or functionality, potentially causing denial of service or configuration corruption. No known exploits are reported in the wild, and no patches are linked yet. The vulnerability is classified under CWE-925, which relates to improper verification of intent, a common Android security weakness that can lead to unauthorized application behavior manipulation.

For European organizations, the impact of this vulnerability depends largely on the adoption of Samsung Flow within their IT environments. Samsung Flow is primarily used to enhance productivity by enabling seamless device integration, file sharing, and notifications synchronization between Samsung mobile devices and PCs. If exploited, the vulnerability could allow local attackers—such as malicious insiders or compromised user accounts—to alter Samsung Flow configurations, potentially disrupting workflows or causing denial of service conditions. While the vulnerability does not directly compromise confidentiality or integrity, availability disruption can affect business continuity, especially in environments relying on Samsung Flow for critical device interoperability. In sectors with high mobile device usage, such as finance, healthcare, or government agencies, such disruptions could lead to operational delays or increased support costs. Since exploitation requires local access, the threat is more relevant in scenarios where endpoint devices are shared, or physical access controls are weak. The absence of known exploits reduces immediate risk but does not eliminate the potential for future attacks.

To mitigate this vulnerability effectively, European organizations should: 1) Ensure all Samsung Flow installations are updated to version 4.9.17.6 or later once patches become available, as this will address the improper intent verification issue. 2) Restrict local access to devices running Samsung Flow by enforcing strong endpoint security policies, including user authentication, session locking, and device encryption to prevent unauthorized local exploitation. 3) Monitor device and application logs for unusual broadcast intent activities or configuration changes that could indicate exploitation attempts. 4) Educate users about the risks of installing untrusted applications or granting unnecessary permissions that could facilitate local attacks. 5) Implement endpoint detection and response (EDR) solutions capable of detecting anomalous inter-process communications or configuration modifications related to Samsung Flow. 6) Coordinate with Samsung support channels to receive timely updates and advisories regarding this vulnerability and related security patches.