CVE-2025-20999 is a medium-severity vulnerability classified under CWE-285 (Improper Authorization) affecting Samsung Mobile Devices, specifically Galaxy Tablets prior to the SMR (Security Maintenance Release) July 2025 Release 1. The vulnerability allows secondary users on the device to access the owner's saved Wi-Fi passwords without proper authorization. This occurs due to insufficient access control mechanisms protecting sensitive Wi-Fi credential data. The CVSS 3.1 base score is 4.1, reflecting a vulnerability that requires local access (AV:P - physical or local access), low attack complexity (AC:L), and low privileges (PR:L) but does require user interaction (UI:R). The impact is primarily on confidentiality (C:H), with no direct impact on integrity or availability. The vulnerability does not appear to have known exploits in the wild yet, and no patches or updates are currently linked, indicating that remediation may be pending or forthcoming in the July 2025 SMR update. The flaw allows unauthorized disclosure of Wi-Fi credentials, which could lead to further network access or lateral movement if exploited by malicious secondary users or attackers with physical access to the device. This vulnerability highlights a failure in enforcing proper authorization checks when accessing sensitive stored credentials on multi-user capable devices.

For European organizations, especially those using Samsung Galaxy Tablets in shared or multi-user environments (e.g., corporate tablets, kiosks, or shared devices), this vulnerability poses a risk of unauthorized disclosure of Wi-Fi credentials. Attackers or unauthorized secondary users gaining access to saved Wi-Fi passwords could leverage this information to infiltrate corporate or private networks, potentially bypassing network access controls. This could facilitate further attacks such as man-in-the-middle, unauthorized network access, or lateral movement within the organization's infrastructure. The confidentiality breach could expose sensitive network configurations and credentials, undermining network security. Although the vulnerability requires local access and some user interaction, in environments where devices are shared or physically accessible to multiple users, the risk is elevated. The impact is more pronounced in sectors with strict data protection requirements and high reliance on secure wireless networks, such as finance, healthcare, and government institutions across Europe.

To mitigate this vulnerability, European organizations should: 1) Ensure all Samsung Galaxy Tablets are updated promptly with the SMR July 2025 Release 1 or later, which is expected to address this improper authorization issue. 2) Restrict physical and local access to devices, especially in shared environments, by enforcing strict device usage policies and employing device management solutions that limit secondary user capabilities. 3) Disable or limit multi-user functionality on tablets where feasible to reduce the attack surface. 4) Employ Mobile Device Management (MDM) solutions to enforce security policies and monitor device usage. 5) Educate users about the risks of sharing devices and the importance of safeguarding credentials. 6) Consider network segmentation and additional Wi-Fi security measures (e.g., WPA3, certificate-based authentication) to reduce the impact if credentials are compromised. 7) Monitor network access logs for unusual activity that could indicate misuse of compromised Wi-Fi credentials.