CVE-2025-49494 is a denial of service vulnerability identified in Samsung's Mobile Processor, Wearable Processor, and Modem components. The issue arises from improper handling of 5G NRMM (New Radio Mobility Management) packets, which are part of the 5G protocol stack responsible for managing mobility and connection states between devices and the network. By crafting and sending malicious NRMM packets, an attacker can trigger a failure in the processing logic of these processors, causing the affected device to crash, reboot, or become unresponsive, resulting in a denial of service condition. This vulnerability affects embedded processors widely used in Samsung smartphones, wearables, and modems, which are integral to maintaining cellular connectivity and device operation. The vulnerability does not require user interaction or authentication, making it potentially exploitable remotely by an attacker within radio range or via compromised network infrastructure. No CVSS score or patches have been published yet, and no exploits are known to be active in the wild. The flaw was reserved in June 2025 and published in November 2025, indicating recent discovery and disclosure. The lack of detailed affected versions and patches suggests ongoing investigation or pending vendor response. The technical root cause likely involves insufficient validation or boundary checking of NRMM packet contents, leading to memory corruption or logic errors in the processor firmware or baseband software.

For European organizations, this vulnerability poses a significant risk to mobile device availability and operational continuity, especially for sectors relying heavily on Samsung mobile and wearable devices for communication and field operations. Disruption of connectivity due to device crashes or reboots can impact critical services, emergency response, and business communications. Enterprises using Samsung-based IoT or wearable devices for health monitoring, logistics, or workforce management may face operational interruptions. Telecommunications providers and infrastructure operators could also experience increased support calls and network instability if large numbers of devices are affected simultaneously. The impact extends to consumer users, potentially causing widespread service degradation in regions with high Samsung device penetration. Given the reliance on 5G networks in Europe, especially in countries aggressively deploying 5G infrastructure, the vulnerability could be exploited to cause localized or targeted denial of service attacks. However, the absence of known exploits and patches currently limits immediate impact, though the threat landscape could evolve rapidly once exploit code becomes available.

European organizations should implement network-level monitoring to detect anomalous or malformed 5G NRMM packets indicative of exploitation attempts. Mobile device management (MDM) solutions should be used to inventory and monitor Samsung devices, ensuring rapid deployment of firmware or software updates once Samsung releases patches. Collaboration with mobile network operators to filter or block suspicious NRMM traffic at the radio access network level can reduce exposure. Organizations should also educate users on reporting unusual device behavior such as unexpected reboots or connectivity loss. For critical deployments, consider deploying fallback communication methods or multi-vendor device strategies to reduce single points of failure. Security teams should maintain close contact with Samsung and relevant CERTs for timely vulnerability intelligence and patch availability. Testing patches in controlled environments before wide deployment is recommended to avoid unintended disruptions. Finally, incident response plans should be updated to include scenarios involving mobile device denial of service.