CVE-2025-48464 is a vulnerability classified under CWE-200 (Exposure of Sensitive Information to an Unauthorized Actor) affecting DuckDuckGo Browser versions 5.246.0 and earlier. The flaw allows an unauthenticated attacker to gain access to sensitive Sync account data, including account credentials and email protection information. The vulnerability's CVSS 3.1 vector (AV:L/AC:H/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N) indicates that exploitation requires local access to the victim's machine, high attack complexity, no privileges, and user interaction. The scope is unchanged, and the primary impact is on confidentiality, with no impact on integrity or availability. This suggests that an attacker must trick or coerce the user into performing an action locally to expose sensitive data. No patches or exploits are currently reported, indicating the vulnerability is newly disclosed and not yet actively exploited. The exposure of Sync account credentials could lead to unauthorized access to user data synchronized across devices, undermining user privacy and potentially enabling further attacks. The vulnerability is significant in environments where DuckDuckGo Browser is used for privacy-focused browsing and synchronization of sensitive data. Organizations relying on DuckDuckGo Browser for secure browsing and email protection should prioritize mitigation to prevent potential data leakage.

For European organizations, the exposure of Sync account credentials and email protection information could lead to unauthorized access to user accounts, resulting in privacy breaches and potential lateral movement within corporate networks if personal devices are used for work. This could undermine trust in privacy-centric tools and complicate compliance with GDPR and other data protection regulations. The requirement for local access and user interaction limits the attack surface primarily to insider threats or scenarios where attackers have physical or remote access to user devices. However, given the increasing use of DuckDuckGo Browser in privacy-conscious European markets, the vulnerability could impact a significant user base, especially in sectors handling sensitive information such as finance, healthcare, and government. The exposure of email protection data could also facilitate phishing or targeted attacks. Overall, the impact is moderate but non-negligible, particularly for organizations emphasizing privacy and data protection.

1. Immediately update DuckDuckGo Browser to versions above 5.246.0 once patches are released by the vendor. 2. Restrict local access to devices running DuckDuckGo Browser to trusted personnel only, minimizing the risk of local exploitation. 3. Educate users about the risk of social engineering or phishing attempts that could trigger the required user interaction for exploitation. 4. Implement endpoint security controls to detect and prevent unauthorized local access or suspicious activities related to browser data files. 5. Monitor Sync account activity for unusual access patterns or login attempts, and enforce multi-factor authentication where possible. 6. Consider isolating or sandboxing browsers used for sensitive activities to limit data exposure. 7. Regularly audit and review browser extensions and configurations to reduce attack vectors. 8. Coordinate with IT and security teams to integrate vulnerability scanning and patch management processes for browser software.