CVE-2025-20981 is a medium-severity vulnerability identified in Samsung Mobile Devices affecting the AudioService component prior to the SMR (Security Maintenance Release) June 2025 Release 1. The vulnerability is classified under CWE-284, which pertains to improper access control. Specifically, this flaw allows local attackers—those with physical or local access to the device—to bypass intended access restrictions within the AudioService. This improper access control enables attackers to access sensitive information stored or processed by the AudioService without requiring any privileges, user interaction, or authentication. The CVSS v3.1 base score is 6.2, reflecting a medium severity level, with a 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), high confidentiality impact (C:H), and no impact on integrity or availability (I:N/A:N). The vulnerability does not appear to have known exploits in the wild yet, and no patches or updates are linked in the provided data, suggesting that affected devices should be updated once the vendor releases a fix. The vulnerability's exploitation is limited to local attackers, which reduces the risk of remote exploitation but still poses a significant threat if an attacker gains physical or local access to the device. The sensitive information exposed could include audio-related data or other confidential information handled by the AudioService, potentially leading to privacy breaches or further attacks leveraging the leaked data.

For European organizations, this vulnerability poses a notable risk primarily in environments where Samsung Mobile Devices are used extensively, especially in sectors handling sensitive or confidential information such as finance, healthcare, government, and critical infrastructure. The ability for a local attacker to access sensitive information without authentication could lead to data leakage, privacy violations, and potential regulatory non-compliance under GDPR. Organizations with bring-your-own-device (BYOD) policies or those that allow employees to use personal Samsung devices for work could be particularly vulnerable if devices are lost, stolen, or accessed by unauthorized personnel. While the attack requires local access, insider threats or physical theft scenarios could exploit this vulnerability to gain sensitive data. The lack of impact on integrity and availability limits the threat to confidentiality, but the high confidentiality impact rating indicates that the information exposed could be highly sensitive. This could undermine trust, lead to intellectual property loss, or expose personal data of employees and customers. Additionally, the absence of known exploits currently provides a window for organizations to proactively mitigate the risk before active exploitation occurs.

To mitigate the risk posed by CVE-2025-20981, European organizations should take several specific actions beyond generic advice: 1) Inventory and identify all Samsung Mobile Devices in use, focusing on those running versions prior to the SMR June 2025 Release 1. 2) Monitor Samsung's official channels closely for the release of patches or security updates addressing this vulnerability and prioritize prompt deployment of these updates across all affected devices. 3) Implement strict physical security controls to prevent unauthorized local access to devices, including enforcing device lock policies with strong authentication mechanisms (PIN, biometrics). 4) Enforce endpoint management solutions that can remotely wipe or lock devices in case of loss or theft to minimize exposure. 5) Educate employees on the risks of physical device compromise and encourage reporting of lost or stolen devices immediately. 6) Restrict sensitive operations or data access on mobile devices where possible, and consider using containerization or secure workspace solutions to isolate sensitive information. 7) Conduct regular audits and penetration testing focused on mobile device security to detect potential exploitation attempts or misconfigurations. 8) Review and tighten BYOD policies to ensure compliance with security standards and minimize the risk of vulnerable devices accessing corporate resources.