CVE-2025-21046VulnerabilityPublished 10 Oct 2025

CVE-2025-21046: Samsung Mobile Devices · Improper Access Control

Affects Samsung Mobile DevicesSource CVE Database V5

Not known to be exploited · CVSS 2.4 Low.

Data as of 26 Oct 2026, 06:26 UTC

CVSS 3.1 base score

2.4Low

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:N/A:N

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

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: None: There is no loss of integrity within the impacted component.
Availability: None: There is no impact to availability within the impacted component.

Definitions: FIRST CVSS v3.1 specification.

Exploitation evidence

Disclosed: evidence found.
CVE published 10 Oct 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. Apply the SMR October 2025 Release 1 update from Samsung Mobile as soon as it becomes available to remediate the vulnerability. 2. Enforce strict physical security policies to prevent unauthorized physical access to devices, including secure storage and controlled access in sensitive environments. 3. Educate users about the risks of leaving devices unattended, especially when Samsung DeX is active or accessible. 4. Consider disabling Samsung DeX on devices where it is not required or where physical security cannot be guaranteed. 5. Implement device management policies via Mobile Device Management (MDM) solutions to monitor and restrict device features and usage. 6. Regularly audit device configurations and access logs to detect any suspicious physical access or usage patterns. 7. Encourage users to lock their devices promptly and use strong authentication methods to reduce the window of opportunity for physical attackers. 8. For highly sensitive environments, consider additional endpoint security solutions that can detect or prevent unauthorized access to device UI components.

Description

Improper access control in WindowManager in Samsung DeX prior to SMR Oct-2025 Release 1 allows physical attackers to temporarily access to recent app list.

Impact

For European organizations, the impact of CVE-2025-21046 is primarily related to potential information leakage through exposure of recent app usage on Samsung Mobile Devices using Samsung DeX. This could reveal sensitive operational or personal information, potentially aiding attackers in profiling users or planning subsequent attacks. The vulnerability does not compromise device integrity or availability, so it does not directly threaten system stability or data modification. However, in environments where physical device security is less controlled—such as field operations, conferences, or shared workspaces—this vulnerability could be exploited by insiders or opportunistic attackers. Organizations handling sensitive data or intellectual property on Samsung devices should consider this a privacy risk. The low CVSS score and lack of remote exploitability reduce the overall threat level, but the risk is non-negligible in high-security contexts. The vulnerability may also affect compliance with data protection regulations if sensitive information is exposed due to inadequate device security.

CWE-284Improper Access Control (opens in a new tab)
Pillar weaknessCWE Top 25 (2025): #19OWASP Top 10 A01:2025: Broken Access Control (opens in a new tab)
The product does not restrict or incorrectly restricts access to a resource from an unauthorized actor.
MITRE discourages mapping vulnerabilities to this broad entry; the root cause is usually a more specific weakness.
Architecture and Design · Operation
Very carefully manage the setting, management, and handling of privileges. Explicitly manage trust zones in the software.
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.
OWASP Cheat Sheets
Docker Security (opens in a new tab)
Third Party Javascript Management (opens in a new tab)
Virtual Patching (opens in a new tab)
Authorization (opens in a new tab)
OWASP ASVS 4.0.3
V1.4.4 (opens in a new tab)
V1.4.5 (opens in a new tab)
V1.10.1 (opens in a new tab)
Attack patterns
Embedding Scripts within Scripts (opens in a new tab)
Modification of Windows Service Configuration (opens in a new tab)
Malicious Root Certificate (opens in a new tab)
Intent Spoof (opens in a new tab)
WebView Exposure (opens in a new tab)
From MITRE CWE, MITRE CAPEC and OWASP (Top 10, OpenCRE).

References

security.samsungmobile.com/securityUpdate.smsb?year=2025&month=10 (opens in a new tab)

Community reviews

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Exploitation evidence

What to do

Description

AI analysisMachine-generated, updated 10 Oct 2025, 06:46 UTC

WeaknessesCWE-284

Technical details

References

Community reviews

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