VulnerabilityPublished 10 Jan 2026Updated 12 Jan 2026

CVE-2025-52435: Apache Mynewt NimBLE · J2EE Misconfiguration: Data Transmission Without Encryption

Affects Apache Mynewt NimBLESource CVE Database V5

Not known to be exploited · CVSS 7.5 High · fixed in 1.9.0 : patch Apache Mynewt NimBLE soon.

Data as of 26 Oct 2026, 09:08 UTC

CVSS 3.1 base score

7.5High

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

EPSS: 0.2% chance of exploitation in 30 days – higher than 14% of CVEsExploit Prediction Scoring System: the likelihood attackers will use this flaw soon.
Patch: Available – fixed in 1.9.0

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

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

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: 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 Jan 2026
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 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

Affected software

Product	Affected	Fixed in
Apache Software FoundationApache Mynewt NimBLE	Affected <=1.8.0	Fixed in–
GitHubapache/mynewt-nimble`pkg:github/apache/mynewt-nimble`Other threats	Affected <=1.8.0	Fixed in–

Check your own hosts for these packages with threat-finder (opens in a new tab), our free open-source scanner.

AI-suggested

The primary mitigation is to upgrade all affected Apache NimBLE instances to version 1.9.0 or later, where the Pause Encryption handling flaw has been corrected. Organizations should implement a comprehensive inventory of devices using NimBLE to identify vulnerable versions. For devices that cannot be immediately upgraded, network-level controls such as restricting BLE communication range or employing physical security measures to limit attacker proximity can reduce risk. Additionally, monitoring BLE traffic for anomalies or unexpected unencrypted transmissions may help detect exploitation attempts. Device manufacturers should review their BLE security configurations and consider implementing additional encryption layers or secure pairing mechanisms. Security teams should also ensure that firmware update mechanisms are secure and capable of rapid deployment to mitigate this and future vulnerabilities. Finally, organizations should educate users and administrators about the risks of BLE vulnerabilities and enforce policies to minimize exposure.

Description

J2EE Misconfiguration: Data Transmission Without Encryption vulnerability in Apache NimBLE. Improper handling of Pause Encryption procedure on Link Layer results in a previously encrypted connection being left in un-encrypted state allowing an eavesdropper to observe the remainder of the exchange. This issue affects Apache NimBLE: through <= 1.8.0. Users are recommended to upgrade to version 1.9.0, which fixes the issue.

Impact

For European organizations, the impact of CVE-2025-52435 is significant in sectors relying heavily on BLE-enabled IoT devices, such as healthcare, manufacturing, smart cities, and consumer electronics. The exposure of sensitive data through unencrypted BLE transmissions can lead to breaches of personal data, intellectual property theft, and loss of customer trust. In healthcare, compromised medical device communications could endanger patient safety and violate GDPR requirements for data protection. Industrial environments using BLE sensors for monitoring and control could face operational risks if sensitive telemetry is intercepted. Although the vulnerability does not affect data integrity or availability, the confidentiality breach alone can have severe regulatory and reputational consequences. The lack of authentication or user interaction needed for exploitation means attackers can silently intercept data, increasing the risk of undetected espionage or data leakage. Organizations using affected versions of Apache NimBLE in their device fleets must consider the risk of widespread exposure, especially in environments with dense device deployments.

CWE-5J2EE Misconfiguration: Data Transmission Without Encryption (opens in a new tab)
Variant weaknessOWASP Top 10 A02:2025: Security Misconfiguration (opens in a new tab)
Information sent over a network can be compromised while in transit. An attacker may be able to read or modify the contents if the data are sent in plaintext or are weakly encrypted.
System Configuration
The product configuration should ensure that SSL or an encryption mechanism of equivalent strength and vetted reputation is used for all access-controlled pages.
OWASP Cheat Sheets
Transport Layer Protection (opens in a new tab)
TLS Cipher String (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)
From MITRE CWE, MITRE CAPEC and OWASP (Top 10, OpenCRE).

References

Community reviews

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Exploitation evidence

What to do

Affected software

Description

AI analysisMachine-generated, updated 18 Jan 2026, 07:38 UTC

WeaknessesCWE-5

Technical details

References

Community reviews

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