CVE-2025-5820VulnerabilityPublished 21 Jun 2025Updated 23 Jun 2025

CVE-2025-5820: Sony XAV-AX8500 · Authentication Bypass Using an Alternate Path or Channel

Affects Sony XAV-AX8500Source CVE Database V5

Not known to be exploited · CVSS 6.3 Medium.

Data as of 26 Oct 2026, 07:57 UTC

CVSS 3.0 base score

6.3Medium

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

EPSS: 0.3% chance of exploitation in 30 days – higher than 29% of CVEsExploit Prediction Scoring System: the likelihood attackers will use this flaw soon.

CVSS:3.0/AV:A/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:L/A:L

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

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

Attack Vector: Adjacent: The vulnerable component is bound to the network stack, but the attack is limited at the protocol level to a logically adjacent topology. This can mean an attack must be launched from the same shared physical (e.g., Bluetooth or IEEE 802.11) or logical (e.g., local IP subnet) network, or from within a secure or otherwise limited administrative domain (e.g., MPLS, secure VPN to an administrative network zone).
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: Low: There is some loss of confidentiality. Access to some restricted information is obtained, but the attacker does not have control over what information is obtained, or the amount or kind of loss is limited. The information disclosure does not cause a direct, serious loss to 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: Low: Performance is reduced or there are interruptions in resource availability. Even if repeated exploitation of the vulnerability is possible, the attacker does not have the ability to completely deny service to legitimate users. The resources in the impacted component are either partially available all of the time, or fully available only some of the time, but overall there is no direct, serious consequence to the impacted component.

Definitions: FIRST CVSS v3.1 specification.

Exploitation evidence

Disclosed: evidence found.
CVE published 21 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 2026-10-26.

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
Sony XAV-AX8500	Affected =2.00.01	Fixed in–

AI-suggested

1. Immediate mitigation should focus on restricting physical and wireless access to vehicles equipped with the Sony XAV-AX8500, especially in sensitive or high-risk environments. 2. Organizations should monitor Bluetooth traffic for anomalous connection attempts or unusual activity related to the affected devices. 3. Implement strict network segmentation between vehicle infotainment systems and critical vehicle control or corporate IT networks to limit lateral movement in case of compromise. 4. Engage with Sony or authorized vendors to obtain firmware updates or patches as soon as they become available; proactively inquire about patch timelines given the absence of current patches. 5. Educate drivers and fleet operators about the risks of unauthorized Bluetooth connections and encourage disabling Bluetooth when not in use. 6. Consider deploying intrusion detection systems capable of monitoring Bluetooth protocol anomalies. 7. For organizations managing large fleets, conduct audits to identify vehicles with the affected device and prioritize risk assessments accordingly. 8. Evaluate alternative infotainment solutions or additional security controls if patching is delayed or unavailable.

Description

Sony XAV-AX8500 Bluetooth ERTM Channel Authentication Bypass Vulnerability. This vulnerability allows network-adjacent attackers to bypass authentication on affected Sony XAV-AX8500 devices. Authentication is not required to exploit this vulnerability. The specific flaw exists within the implementation of Bluetooth ERTM channel communication. The issue results from improper channel data initialization. An attacker can leverage this vulnerability to bypass authentication on the system. Was ZDI-CAN-26285.

Impact

For European organizations, particularly those in the automotive, transportation, and fleet management sectors, this vulnerability could have significant operational and security implications. Exploitation could allow attackers to bypass Bluetooth authentication, potentially leading to unauthorized access to vehicle infotainment systems. This access might be leveraged to intercept or manipulate communications, inject malicious commands, or pivot to other connected vehicle systems if network segmentation is insufficient. Confidentiality could be compromised by unauthorized data access, integrity could be affected by manipulation of data or commands, and availability might be impacted if the attacker disrupts Bluetooth communications. Given the increasing integration of infotainment systems with critical vehicle functions and personal devices, exploitation could also lead to privacy breaches or facilitate further attacks on corporate networks via connected devices. Although the attack vector is adjacent network, meaning the attacker must be within Bluetooth range (typically up to 100 meters), this is feasible in public or semi-public environments such as parking lots, service centers, or transport hubs. The lack of required authentication and user interaction lowers the barrier for exploitation, increasing the risk profile for organizations relying on these devices.

CWE-288Authentication Bypass Using an Alternate Path or Channel (opens in a new tab)
Base weaknessOWASP Top 10 A07:2025: Authentication Failures (opens in a new tab)
The product requires authentication, but the product has an alternate path or channel that does not require authentication.
Architecture and Design
Funnel all access through a single choke point to simplify how users can access a resource. For every access, perform a check to determine if the user has permissions to access the resource.
OWASP Cheat Sheets
OWASP Authentication (opens in a new tab)
OWASP ASVS 4.0.3
V1.2.3 (opens in a new tab)
V1.2.2 (opens in a new tab)
V1.2.4 (opens in a new tab)
Attack patterns
Directory Indexing (opens in a new tab)
Exploitation of Thunderbolt Protection Flaws (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 21 Jun 2025, 12:52 UTC

WeaknessesCWE-288

Technical details

References

Community reviews

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