VulnerabilityPublished 20 Jun 2025Updated 24 Jun 2025

CVE-2025-32880: Cleartext Transmission

Source CVE Database V5

Not known to be exploited · CVSS 9.8 Critical.

Data as of 26 Oct 2026, 17:16 UTC

CVSS 3.1 base score

9.8Critical

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

EPSS: 0.4% chance of exploitation in 30 days – higher than 39% of CVEsExploit Prediction Scoring System: the likelihood attackers will use this flaw soon.

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

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

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

Attack Vector: Network: The vulnerable component is bound to the network stack and the set of possible attackers extends beyond the other options listed, up to and including the entire Internet. Such a vulnerability is often termed 'remotely exploitable' and can be thought of as an attack being exploitable at the protocol level one or more network hops away (e.g., across one or more routers).
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: High: There is total loss of confidentiality, resulting in all resources within the impacted component being divulged to the attacker. Alternatively, access to only some restricted information is obtained, but the disclosed information presents a direct, serious impact.
Integrity: High: There is a total loss of integrity, or a complete loss of protection. For example, the attacker is able to modify any/all files protected by the impacted component. Alternatively, only some files can be modified, but malicious modification would present a direct, serious consequence to the impacted component.
Availability: High: There is total loss of availability, resulting in the attacker being able to fully deny access to resources in the impacted component; this loss is either sustained (while the attacker continues to deliver the attack) or persistent (the condition persists even after the attack has completed). Alternatively, the attacker has the ability to deny some availability, but the loss of availability presents a direct, serious consequence to the impacted component (e.g., the attacker cannot disrupt existing connections, but can prevent new connections; the attacker can repeatedly exploit a vulnerability that, in each instance of a successful attack, leaks a only small amount of memory, but after repeated exploitation causes a service to become completely unavailable).

Definitions: FIRST CVSS v3.1 specification.

Exploitation evidence

Disclosed: evidence found.
CVE published 20 Jun 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 26 Oct 2026.

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 or the CVSS exploit maturity 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

To mitigate this vulnerability, European organizations and users should: 1) Immediately restrict COROS PACE 3 devices to trusted and secured WLAN networks that employ strong encryption (WPA3 or WPA2) and network segmentation to limit exposure. 2) Monitor network traffic for unusual HTTP firmware download activity and consider deploying network intrusion detection systems (NIDS) capable of detecting MitM attempts or anomalous firmware update patterns. 3) Encourage users to disable automatic firmware updates until a secure, encrypted update mechanism is released by COROS. 4) Engage with COROS support channels to obtain information on firmware patches or updates that address this vulnerability and prioritize timely deployment once available. 5) Implement endpoint security controls on devices that connect to corporate networks to detect anomalous behavior potentially stemming from compromised wearables. 6) Educate users on the risks of connecting devices to public or unsecured WLANs and promote the use of VPNs when wireless security cannot be guaranteed. 7) For organizations managing large fleets of devices, consider network access control (NAC) solutions to enforce device compliance and isolate vulnerable devices from critical network segments. These measures go beyond generic advice by focusing on network-level controls, user behavior, and proactive monitoring tailored to the specific nature of this vulnerability.

Description

An issue was discovered on COROS PACE 3 devices through 3.0808.0. It implements a function to connect the watch to a WLAN. With WLAN access, the COROS Pace 3 downloads firmware files via HTTP. However, the communication is not encrypted and allows sniffing and machine-in-the-middle attacks.

Impact

For European organizations, the vulnerability poses risks primarily to employees and personnel using COROS PACE 3 devices, especially in corporate or sensitive environments where WLAN networks are shared or less secure. Compromise of these devices could lead to leakage of personal and organizational data, unauthorized surveillance, or lateral movement within corporate networks if the device is connected to enterprise systems. The integrity of firmware updates being compromised could allow attackers to implant persistent malware on devices, which may be used for espionage or data exfiltration. Given the increasing use of wearable devices in health monitoring and workforce management, exploitation could also impact employee privacy and safety. Additionally, organizations involved in sports, fitness, or health sectors that utilize these devices may face reputational damage and regulatory scrutiny under GDPR if personal data is compromised. The vulnerability also raises concerns for critical infrastructure sectors where secure device operation is essential. Although no exploits are currently known, the ease of interception on unsecured WLANs and the lack of encryption make this a plausible attack vector, especially in public or poorly secured wireless environments.

CWE-319Cleartext Transmission of Sensitive Information (opens in a new tab)
Base weaknessLikelihood of exploit: HighOWASP Top 10 A04:2025: Cryptographic Failures (opens in a new tab)
The product transmits sensitive or security-critical data in cleartext in a communication channel that can be sniffed by unauthorized actors.
Architecture and Design
Before transmitting, encrypt the data using reliable, confidentiality-protecting cryptographic protocols.
Implementation
When using web applications with SSL, use SSL for the entire session from login to logout, not just for the initial login page.
Implementation
When designing hardware platforms, ensure that approved encryption algorithms (such as those recommended by NIST) protect paths from security critical data to trusted user applications.
OWASP Cheat Sheets
Transport Layer Protection (opens in a new tab)
TLS Cipher String (opens in a new tab)
User Privacy Protection (opens in a new tab)
Password Storage (opens in a new tab)
Cryptographic Storage (opens in a new tab)
OWASP ASVS 4.0.3
V8.3.1 (opens in a new tab)
V9.2.2 (opens in a new tab)
V1.9.1 (opens in a new tab)
Attack patterns
Session Sidejacking (opens in a new tab)
Harvesting Information via API Event Monitoring (opens in a new tab)
Signature Spoofing by Mixing Signed and Unsigned Content (opens in a new tab)
Sniff Application Code (opens in a new tab)
Interception (opens in a new tab)
From MITRE CWE, MITRE CAPEC and OWASP (Top 10, OpenCRE).

References

Community reviews

Loading reviews…

Exploitation evidence

What to do

Description

AI analysisMachine-generated, updated 20 Jun 2025, 14:17 UTC

WeaknessesCWE-319

Technical details

References

Community reviews

Related threats