VulnerabilityPublished 21 Nov 2025

CVE-2025-65092: espressif esp-idf · Out-of-bounds Read

Affects espressif esp-idfSource CVE Database V5

Not known to be exploited · CVSS 6.9 Medium · fixed in 5.5.2 : update espressif esp-idf when convenient.

Data as of 26 Oct 2026, 12:29 UTC

CVSS 4.0 base score

6.9Medium

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

EPSS: 0.3% chance of exploitation in 30 days – higher than 32% of CVEsExploit Prediction Scoring System: the likelihood attackers will use this flaw soon.
Patch: Available – fixed in 5.5.2

CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:N/UI:N/VC:N/VI:N/VA:L/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N

Attack Vector: Network
Attack Complexity: Low
Attack Requirements: None
Privileges Required: None
User Interaction: None
Vulnerable system confidentiality: None
Vulnerable system integrity: None
Vulnerable system availability: Low
Subsequent system confidentiality: None
Subsequent system integrity: None
Subsequent system availability: None

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

Attack Vector: Network: The vulnerable system is bound to the network stack and the set of possible attackers extends beyond the other options listed below, 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: The attacker must take no measurable action to exploit the vulnerability. The attack requires no target-specific circumvention to exploit the vulnerability. An attacker can expect repeatable success against the vulnerable system.
Attack Requirements: None: The successful attack does not depend on the deployment and execution conditions of the vulnerable system. The attacker can expect to be able to reach the vulnerability and execute the exploit under all or most instances of the vulnerability.
Privileges Required: None: The attacker is unauthorized prior to attack, and therefore does not require any access to settings or files of the vulnerable system to carry out an attack.
User Interaction: None: The vulnerable system can be exploited without interaction from any human user, other than the attacker.
Vulnerable system confidentiality: None: There is no loss of confidentiality within the Vulnerable System.
Vulnerable system integrity: None: There is no loss of integrity within the Vulnerable System.
Vulnerable system 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 Vulnerable System 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 Vulnerable System.
Subsequent system confidentiality: None: There is no loss of confidentiality within the Subsequent System or all confidentiality impact is constrained to the Vulnerable System.
Subsequent system integrity: None: There is no loss of integrity within the Subsequent System or all integrity impact is constrained to the Vulnerable System.
Subsequent system availability: None: There is no impact to availability within the Subsequent System or all availability impact is constrained to the Vulnerable System.

Definitions: FIRST CVSS v4.0 specification.

Exploitation evidence

Disclosed: evidence found.
CVE published 21 Nov 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

Affected software

Product	Affected	Fixed in
GitHubespressif/esp-idf`pkg:github/espressif/esp-idf`Other threats	Affected =5.5.1 =5.4.3 =5.3.4	Fixed in–

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 implement the following specific mitigations: 1) Inventory all ESP32-P4 based IoT devices and identify those running esp-idf versions 5.5.1, 5.4.3, or 5.3.4. 2) Plan and prioritize firmware updates to esp-idf versions 5.5.2, 5.4.4, or 5.3.5 once officially released, applying the patches that fix the JPEG parser validation. 3) If immediate patching is not possible, restrict network exposure of vulnerable devices by segmenting IoT networks and applying strict ingress filtering to block untrusted JPEG image inputs. 4) Monitor network traffic for anomalous JPEG image transfers or malformed image payloads targeting IoT devices. 5) Employ runtime protections or anomaly detection on IoT devices to detect crashes or abnormal behavior related to JPEG decoding. 6) Engage with device vendors to confirm patch availability and deployment timelines. 7) Incorporate this vulnerability into risk assessments and incident response plans for IoT infrastructure. These targeted steps go beyond generic patching advice by emphasizing device inventory, network segmentation, and monitoring specific to the JPEG decoding vector.

Description

ESF-IDF is the Espressif Internet of Things (IOT) Development Framework. In versions 5.5.1, 5.4.3, and 5.3.4, when the ESP32-P4 uses its hardware JPEG decoder, the software parser lacks necessary validation checks. A specially crafted (malicious) JPEG image could exploit the parsing routine and trigger an out-of-bounds array access. This issue has been fixed in versions 5.5.2, 5.4.4, and 5.3.5. At time of publication versions 5.5.2, 5.4.4, and 5.3.5 have not been released but are fixed respectively in commits 4b8f585, c79cb4d, and 34e2726.

Impact

For European organizations, the primary impact of CVE-2025-65092 lies in the potential exposure of sensitive information from ESP32-P4 based IoT devices that utilize the vulnerable esp-idf versions. These devices are commonly deployed in smart home systems, industrial automation, and smart city infrastructure across Europe. An attacker could remotely send malicious JPEG images to affected devices, causing out-of-bounds reads that may leak memory contents, potentially revealing sensitive operational data or cryptographic material. While the vulnerability does not allow code execution, the resulting instability or information leakage could undermine device reliability and confidentiality, impacting critical infrastructure or consumer privacy. The risk is heightened in sectors with extensive IoT deployments such as manufacturing, energy, and public services. Additionally, the lack of required authentication or user interaction lowers the barrier for exploitation, increasing the threat surface. Organizations failing to update to patched esp-idf versions may face increased exposure to targeted attacks or reconnaissance by threat actors.

Summary

CVE-2025-65092 is a medium severity vulnerability identified in the Espressif Internet of Things Development Framework (esp-idf), specifically affecting versions 5.5.1, 5.4.3, and 5.3.4. The flaw exists in the JPEG decoding component of the ESP32-P4 hardware platform, where the software parser fails to perform adequate validation on JPEG image data. This lack of validation permits an attacker to craft malicious JPEG images that cause out-of-bounds reads during parsing, classified under CWE-125 (Out-of-bounds Read) and CWE-191 (Integer Underflow). Such out-of-bounds reads can lead to disclosure of sensitive memory contents or cause application crashes, potentially destabilizing the device or leaking information. The vulnerability is exploitable remotely over the network without requiring any privileges or user interaction, as the JPEG decoder processes images autonomously. However, the impact is limited to information disclosure and does not extend to code execution or system compromise. Espressif has addressed the issue in unreleased patches (versions 5.5.2, 5.4.4, and 5.3.5) with specific commits that add necessary validation checks to the JPEG parser. No public exploits have been observed, but the vulnerability poses a risk to IoT devices relying on vulnerable esp-idf versions, especially those processing JPEG images from untrusted sources.

CWE-125Out-of-bounds Read (opens in a new tab)
Base weaknessCWE Top 25 (2025): #8
The product reads data past the end, or before the beginning, of the intended buffer.
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.
Architecture and Design · Language Selection
Use a language that provides appropriate memory abstractions.
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)
Attack patterns
Overread Buffers (opens in a new tab)
From MITRE CWE, MITRE CAPEC and OWASP (Top 10, OpenCRE).
CWE-191Integer Underflow (Wrap or Wraparound) (opens in a new tab)
Base weakness
The product subtracts one value from another, such that the result is less than the minimum allowable integer value, which produces a value that is not equal to the correct result.

References

Community reviews

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Exploitation evidence

What to do

Affected software

Description

AI analysisMachine-generated, updated 21 Nov 2025, 22:02 UTC

WeaknessesCWE-125, CWE-191

Technical details

References

Community reviews

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