VulnerabilityPublished 24 Jun 2025

CVE-2025-52883: Meshtastic-Android · Improper Validation of Specified Type of Input

Affects Meshtastic-AndroidSource CVE Database V5

Not known to be exploited · CVSS 5.3 Medium : upgrade to 2.5.21 when convenient.

Data as of 26 Oct 2026, 14:05 UTC

CVSS 3.1 base score

5.3Medium

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

EPSS: 0.2% chance of exploitation in 30 days – higher than 18% of CVEsExploit Prediction Scoring System: the likelihood attackers will use this flaw soon.
Patch: Available – fixed in 2.5.21

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

Attack Vector: Network
Attack Complexity: Low
Privileges Required: None
User Interaction: None
Scope: Unchanged
Confidentiality: None
Integrity: Low
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: None: There is no loss of confidentiality within the impacted component.
Integrity: Low: Modification of data is possible, but the attacker does not have control over the consequence of a modification, or the amount of modification is limited. The data modification does not have a direct, serious impact on 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 24 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

Upgrade meshtastic/Meshtastic-Android to 2.5.21.

Affected software

Product	Affected	Fixed in
GitHubmeshtastic/Meshtastic-Android`pkg:github/meshtastic/Meshtastic-Android`Other threats	Affected <2.5.21	Fixed in 2.5.21

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

AI-suggested

European organizations should ensure all Meshtastic-Android clients are updated to version 2.5.21 or later to apply the patch that enforces stricter validation of message encryption status. Beyond updating, organizations should audit their mesh network configurations to limit unauthorized access and monitor for anomalous node behavior or unexpected messages. Training users to recognize the significance of encryption indicators and to report suspicious messages can reduce the risk of social engineering. Developers and administrators should advocate for or implement UI improvements that clearly differentiate between encrypted and unencrypted messages, such as the recommended yellow half-open padlock icon for unencrypted HAM mode communications, to avoid false security cues. Additionally, organizations should consider supplementing mesh communications with out-of-band verification methods for critical messages and implement logging and alerting mechanisms to detect potential impersonation attempts. Since the vulnerability is client-side, reviewing and hardening client application security policies and permissions can further reduce attack surface.

Description

Meshtastic-Android is an Android application for the mesh radio software Meshtastic. Prior to version 2.5.21, an attacker is able to send an unencrypted direct message to a victim impersonating any other node of the mesh. This message will be displayed in the same chat that the victim normally communicates with the other node and it will appear as using PKC, while it is not. This means that the victim will be provided with a false sense of security due to the green padlock displayed when using PKC and they'll read the attacker's message as legitimate. Version 2.5.21 contains a patch for the issue. It is suggested to implement a stricter control on whether a message has been received using PKC or using the shared Meshtastic channel key. Moreover, instead of showing no green padlock icon in the chat with no PKC, consider using an explicit indicator like, for example, the yellow half-open padlock displayed when in HAM mode. This remediation, however, applies to the client applications rather than the Meshtastic firmware.

Impact

For European organizations using Meshtastic-Android, particularly those relying on mesh radio communications for critical or sensitive operations (such as emergency services, outdoor teams, or remote field operations), this vulnerability can undermine trust in message authenticity. An attacker could impersonate trusted nodes and inject misleading or malicious messages, potentially causing operational confusion, misinformation, or manipulation of decision-making processes. Although confidentiality is not directly compromised, the integrity of communications is at risk, which can be critical in scenarios where message authenticity is paramount. The false indication of PKC encryption exacerbates the risk by deceiving users into trusting unencrypted messages. This could lead to social engineering attacks, misinformation dissemination, or disruption of coordinated activities. The impact is more pronounced in environments where mesh radio is a primary communication method and where users may not have alternative secure channels. However, since the vulnerability requires network access to the mesh and no known exploits exist yet, the immediate risk is moderate but should be addressed promptly to prevent future exploitation.

CWE-1287Improper Validation of Specified Type of Input (opens in a new tab)
Base weakness
The product receives input that is expected to be of a certain type, but it does not validate or incorrectly validates that the input is actually of the expected type.
Implementation · Input Validation
Assume all input is malicious. Use an "accept known good" input validation strategy, i.e., use a list of acceptable inputs that strictly conform to specifications. Reject any input that does not strictly conform to specifications, or transform it into something that does.
OWASP Cheat Sheets
XML Security (opens in a new tab)
Mass Assignment (opens in a new tab)
OWASP ASVS 4.0.3
V13.3.1 (opens in a new tab)
V5.1.4 (opens in a new tab)
V5.1.3 (opens in a new tab)
From MITRE CWE, MITRE CAPEC and OWASP (Top 10, OpenCRE).

References

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Exploitation evidence

What to do

Affected software

Description

AI analysisMachine-generated, updated 24 Jun 2025, 20:49 UTC

WeaknessesCWE-1287

Technical details

References

Community reviews

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