CVE-2025-52909: Samsung Exynos Buffer Overflow Vulnerability

CVE-2025-52909 Overview

A critical buffer overflow vulnerability has been discovered in the Wi-Fi driver used in Samsung Mobile Processor and Wearable Processor Exynos chipsets. The vulnerability stems from incorrect handling of the NL80211 vendor command, which can be exploited via a specially crafted ioctl message. This is identified as issue 2 of 2 related to this vulnerability class.

Critical Impact

This buffer overflow vulnerability (CWE-120) in Samsung Exynos Wi-Fi drivers could allow attackers to execute arbitrary code, potentially leading to complete device compromise with full impact on confidentiality, integrity, and availability.

Affected Products

• Samsung Exynos 980 Mobile Processor
• Samsung Exynos 850 Mobile Processor
• Samsung Exynos 1280 Mobile Processor
• Samsung Exynos 1330 Mobile Processor
• Samsung Exynos 1380 Mobile Processor
• Samsung Exynos 1480 Mobile Processor
• Samsung Exynos 1580 Mobile Processor
• Samsung Exynos W920 Wearable Processor
• Samsung Exynos W930 Wearable Processor
• Samsung Exynos W1000 Wearable Processor

Discovery Timeline

• 2026-04-07 - CVE-2025-52909 published to NVD
• 2026-04-09 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2025-52909

Vulnerability Analysis

This vulnerability is classified as CWE-120 (Buffer Copy without Checking Size of Input), commonly known as a classic buffer overflow. The flaw exists within the Wi-Fi driver's NL80211 vendor command handling mechanism across multiple Samsung Exynos processors, affecting both mobile devices and wearables.

The NL80211 interface is the standard Linux kernel interface for configuring wireless devices through the netlink socket protocol. When the Wi-Fi driver processes vendor-specific commands through this interface, it fails to properly validate the size of input data before copying it into a fixed-size buffer. An attacker who can send a malicious ioctl message could trigger a buffer overflow condition.

Given the network attack vector with no privileges or user interaction required, this vulnerability poses a significant risk. Successful exploitation could result in arbitrary code execution with kernel-level privileges, potentially allowing an attacker to gain complete control over the affected device.

Root Cause

The root cause is improper bounds checking in the Wi-Fi driver's ioctl handler when processing NL80211 vendor commands. The driver allocates a fixed-size buffer for incoming vendor command data but does not adequately verify that the incoming data fits within the allocated buffer space. This allows an attacker to overflow the buffer by providing oversized input, potentially overwriting adjacent memory regions including return addresses or function pointers.

Attack Vector

The vulnerability can be exploited remotely over a network connection. An attacker could craft a malicious NL80211 vendor command containing oversized data and send it to the vulnerable Wi-Fi driver through an ioctl system call. Since no authentication or user interaction is required, the attack could potentially be launched against any device with an affected Exynos processor when connected to a network.

The attack surface includes:

• Malicious Wi-Fi access points sending crafted management frames
• Network-based attacks against devices connected to compromised networks
• Local attacks from malicious applications with network access capabilities

Due to the sensitive nature of this vulnerability, specific exploitation code is not provided. Security researchers should refer to the Samsung Security Advisory for technical details.

Detection Methods for CVE-2025-52909

Indicators of Compromise

• Unexpected Wi-Fi driver crashes or kernel panics during wireless activity
• Anomalous memory access patterns or segmentation faults in Wi-Fi subsystem logs
• Unusual NL80211 vendor command activity in kernel audit logs
• Signs of privilege escalation or unauthorized kernel-level code execution

Detection Strategies

• Monitor kernel logs for buffer overflow indicators such as stack canary violations or KASAN (Kernel Address Sanitizer) reports in Wi-Fi driver modules
• Implement network intrusion detection rules to identify malformed wireless management frames
• Use endpoint detection and response (EDR) solutions to detect anomalous ioctl system calls targeting wireless interfaces
• Deploy mobile threat defense solutions capable of detecting kernel-level exploitation attempts

Monitoring Recommendations

• Enable enhanced logging for wireless subsystem events on affected devices
• Configure alerts for unexpected Wi-Fi driver module crashes or restarts
• Monitor for unusual network traffic patterns that may indicate exploitation attempts
• Implement security information and event management (SIEM) rules for Exynos-based device anomalies

How to Mitigate CVE-2025-52909

Immediate Actions Required

• Apply the latest firmware updates from Samsung for all affected Exynos processors
• Review and limit network exposure of devices using vulnerable chipsets
• Enable all available kernel security features including KASLR and stack protectors
• Consider network segmentation to isolate potentially vulnerable mobile and wearable devices

Patch Information

Samsung has released security updates to address this vulnerability. Organizations and users should consult the Samsung Product Security Updates page and the specific CVE-2025-52909 advisory for detailed patch information and firmware update instructions.

Device manufacturers using affected Exynos processors should integrate Samsung's security patches into their firmware builds and distribute updates to end users through their normal update channels.

Workarounds

• Limit Wi-Fi usage on affected devices until patches are applied, using cellular connections where possible
• Avoid connecting to untrusted Wi-Fi networks with devices containing vulnerable Exynos processors
• Disable Wi-Fi when not in active use to reduce the attack surface
• Deploy network access control to restrict potentially vulnerable devices to trusted network segments

For enterprise environments, temporary workarounds include restricting affected devices from connecting to corporate Wi-Fi networks until properly patched firmware is deployed.