CVE-2025-21030VulnerabilityPublished 3 Sep 2025

CVE-2025-21030: Samsung Mobile Devices · Improper Handling of Insufficient Permissions

Affects Samsung Mobile DevicesSource CVE Database V5

Not known to be exploited · CVSS 4.3 Medium.

Data as of 26 Oct 2026, 06:26 UTC

CVSS 3.1 base score

4.3Medium

How severe the flaw is on the 0–10 CVSS scale.

EPSS: 0.1% chance of exploitation in 30 days – higher than 4% of CVEsExploit Prediction Scoring System: the likelihood attackers will use this flaw soon.

CVSS:3.1/AV:P/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:L/A:L

Attack Vector: Physical
Attack Complexity: Low
Privileges Required: None
User Interaction: None
Scope: Unchanged
Confidentiality: Low
Integrity: Low
Availability: Low

Bold values are the worst case: easiest to exploit or largest impact.

Attack Vector: Physical: The attack requires the attacker to physically touch or manipulate the vulnerable component. Physical interaction may be brief or persistent.
Attack Complexity: Low: Specialized access conditions or extenuating circumstances do not exist. An attacker can expect repeatable success against the vulnerable component.
Privileges Required: None: The attacker is unauthorized prior to attack, and therefore does not require any access to settings or files to carry out an attack.
User Interaction: None: The vulnerable system can be exploited without any interaction from any user.
Scope: Unchanged: An exploited vulnerability can only affect resources managed by the same security authority. In this case, the vulnerable component and the impacted component are either the same, or both are managed by the same security authority.
Confidentiality: Low: There is some loss of confidentiality. Access to some restricted information is obtained, but the attacker does not have control over what information is obtained, or the amount or kind of loss is limited. The information disclosure does not cause a direct, serious loss to the impacted component.
Integrity: Low: Modification of data is possible, but the attacker does not have control over the consequence of a modification, or the amount of modification is limited. The data modification does not have a direct, serious impact on the impacted component.
Availability: Low: Performance is reduced or there are interruptions in resource availability. Even if repeated exploitation of the vulnerability is possible, the attacker does not have the ability to completely deny service to legitimate users. The resources in the impacted component are either partially available all of the time, or fully available only some of the time, but overall there is no direct, serious consequence to the impacted component.

Definitions: FIRST CVSS v3.1 specification.

Exploitation evidence

Disclosed: evidence found.
CVE published 3 Sep 2025
Detectable: no evidence on record.
No public nuclei template indexed
Weaponised: no evidence on record.
No public exploit code indexed in Metasploit or Exploit-DB
Exploited in the wildExploited: no evidence on record.
Not in CISA KEV and no source reports exploitation
Observed by OffSeq MirageSeen by Mirage: no evidence on record.
No attack traffic recorded by OffSeq Mirage sensors

A missing step is not evidence of safety. Sources: cve.org (opens in a new tab), the Metasploit, Exploit-DB and nuclei-templates index as of 2026-10-26.

Disclosed: The CVE record is public on cve.org. Its publication is t = 0.
Detectable: A public nuclei template can find exposed instances, for defenders and attackers alike.
Weaponised: Public exploit code exists in Metasploit or Exploit-DB, or CISA SSVC reports a public proof of concept.
Exploited in the wild: CISA KEV lists it, CISA SSVC rates exploitation active, or a source reports attacks.
Observed by OffSeq Mirage: OffSeq Mirage honeypot sensors recorded attack traffic for this CVE, or found exposed hosts without attack traffic.

Moments are spaced evenly, not to scale; a dashed line marks a gap of six months or more. Deltas count from t = 0. Sources that give only a date (CISA KEV, Exploit-DB, or a time of exactly 00:00Z) read “same day” rather than hours. Metasploit modules carry the flaw’s disclosure date, not their release date, and nuclei templates carry no date, so both appear above but not on the timeline.

What to do

AI-suggested

1. Immediate mitigation involves restricting physical and local access to Samsung Mobile devices, especially those running Chinese Android 15 versions prior to the SMR Sep-2025 Release 1. 2. Enforce strict device usage policies, including disabling or limiting app prelaunch features if configurable, to reduce attack surface. 3. Monitor device behavior for unusual background application launches or processes that could indicate exploitation attempts. 4. Deploy mobile device management (MDM) solutions capable of enforcing security policies, application whitelisting, and remote wiping in case of device compromise. 5. Educate users on the risks of leaving devices unattended or lending them to untrusted individuals. 6. Stay updated with Samsung security advisories and apply the official SMR September 2025 Release 1 patch promptly once available. 7. For organizations with development capabilities, consider implementing additional runtime application self-protection (RASP) or endpoint detection and response (EDR) tools tailored for mobile devices to detect anomalous app execution. 8. Conduct regular security audits and penetration testing on mobile device fleets to identify and remediate similar permission handling issues proactively.

Description

Improper handling of insufficient permission in AppPrelaunchManagerService prior to SMR Sep-2025 Release 1 in Chinese Android 15 allows local attackers to execute arbitrary application in the background.

Impact

For European organizations, this vulnerability poses a moderate risk primarily in environments where Samsung Mobile devices running the affected Chinese Android 15 builds are used. The ability for a local attacker to execute arbitrary applications in the background can lead to unauthorized data access, covert surveillance, or installation of persistent malware. This can compromise confidentiality and integrity of sensitive corporate data accessed or stored on mobile devices. In sectors such as finance, healthcare, and government, where mobile device security is critical, this vulnerability could facilitate insider threats or targeted attacks if devices are physically accessible. However, the requirement for local access and the medium CVSS score reduce the likelihood of widespread impact. Organizations with bring-your-own-device (BYOD) policies or those deploying Samsung devices in field operations should be particularly vigilant. The vulnerability could also affect supply chain security if compromised devices are introduced into corporate networks. Overall, while the threat is not critical, it necessitates attention to prevent potential escalation or exploitation in targeted attack scenarios.

CWE-280Improper Handling of Insufficient Permissions or Privileges (opens in a new tab)
Base weaknessOWASP Top 10 A10:2025: Mishandling of Exceptional Conditions (opens in a new tab)
The product does not handle or incorrectly handles when it has insufficient privileges to access resources or functionality as specified by their permissions. This may cause it to follow unexpected code paths that may leave the product in an invalid state.
Architecture and Design · Separation of Privilege
Compartmentalize the system to have "safe" areas where trust boundaries can be unambiguously drawn. Do not allow sensitive data to go outside of the trust boundary and always be careful when interfacing with a compartment outside of the safe area.
Implementation
Always check to see if you have successfully accessed a resource or system functionality, and use proper error handling if it is unsuccessful. Do this even when you are operating in a highly privileged mode, because errors or environmental conditions might still cause a failure.
OWASP Cheat Sheets
Logging (opens in a new tab)
Error Handling (opens in a new tab)
From MITRE CWE, MITRE CAPEC and OWASP (Top 10, OpenCRE).

References

security.samsungmobile.com/securityUpdate.smsb?year=2025&month=09 (opens in a new tab)

Community reviews

Loading reviews…

Exploitation evidence

What to do

Description

AI analysisMachine-generated, updated 3 Sep 2025, 06:35 UTC

WeaknessesCWE-280

Technical details

References

Community reviews

Related threats