The SentinelOne Annual Threat Report - A Defenders Guide from the FrontlinesThe SentinelOne Annual Threat ReportGet the Report
Experiencing a Breach?Blog
Get StartedContact Us
SentinelOne
  • Platform
    Platform Overview
    • Singularity Platform
      Welcome to Integrated Enterprise Security
    • AI for Security
      Leading the Way in AI-Powered Security Solutions
    • Securing AI
      Accelerate AI Adoption with Secure AI Tools, Apps, and Agents.
    • How It Works
      The Singularity XDR Difference
    • Singularity Marketplace
      One-Click Integrations to Unlock the Power of XDR
    • Pricing & Packaging
      Comparisons and Guidance at a Glance
    Data & AI
    • Purple AI
      Accelerate SecOps with Generative AI
    • Singularity Hyperautomation
      Easily Automate Security Processes
    • AI-SIEM
      The AI SIEM for the Autonomous SOC
    • AI Data Pipelines
      Security Data Pipeline for AI SIEM and Data Optimization
    • Singularity Data Lake
      AI-Powered, Unified Data Lake
    • Singularity Data Lake for Log Analytics
      Seamlessly Ingest Data from On-Prem, Cloud or Hybrid Environments
    Endpoint Security
    • Singularity Endpoint
      Autonomous Prevention, Detection, and Response
    • Singularity XDR
      Native & Open Protection, Detection, and Response
    • Singularity RemoteOps Forensics
      Orchestrate Forensics at Scale
    • Singularity Threat Intelligence
      Comprehensive Adversary Intelligence
    • Singularity Vulnerability Management
      Application & OS Vulnerability Management
    • Singularity Identity
      Identity Threat Detection and Response
    Cloud Security
    • Singularity Cloud Security
      Block Attacks with an AI-Powered CNAPP
    • Singularity Cloud Native Security
      Secure Cloud and Development Resources
    • Singularity Cloud Workload Security
      Real-Time Cloud Workload Protection Platform
    • Singularity Cloud Data Security
      AI-Powered Threat Detection for Cloud Storage
    • Singularity Cloud Security Posture Management
      Detect and Remediate Cloud Misconfigurations
    Securing AI
    • Prompt Security
      Secure AI Tools Across Your Enterprise
  • Why SentinelOne?
    Why SentinelOne?
    • Why SentinelOne?
      Cybersecurity Built for What’s Next
    • Our Customers
      Trusted by the World’s Leading Enterprises
    • Industry Recognition
      Tested and Proven by the Experts
    • About Us
      The Industry Leader in Autonomous Cybersecurity
    Compare SentinelOne
    • Arctic Wolf
    • Broadcom
    • CrowdStrike
    • Cybereason
    • Microsoft
    • Palo Alto Networks
    • Sophos
    • Splunk
    • Trellix
    • Trend Micro
    • Wiz
    Verticals
    • Energy
    • Federal Government
    • Finance
    • Healthcare
    • Higher Education
    • K-12 Education
    • Manufacturing
    • Retail
    • State and Local Government
  • Services
    Managed Services
    • Managed Services Overview
      Wayfinder Threat Detection & Response
    • Threat Hunting
      World-Class Expertise and Threat Intelligence
    • Managed Detection & Response
      24/7/365 Expert MDR Across Your Entire Environment
    • Incident Readiness & Response
      DFIR, Breach Readiness, & Compromise Assessments
    Support, Deployment, & Health
    • Technical Account Management
      Customer Success with Personalized Service
    • SentinelOne GO
      Guided Onboarding & Deployment Advisory
    • SentinelOne University
      Live and On-Demand Training
    • Services Overview
      Comprehensive Solutions for Seamless Security Operations
    • SentinelOne Community
      Community Login
  • Partners
    Our Network
    • MSSP Partners
      Succeed Faster with SentinelOne
    • Singularity Marketplace
      Extend the Power of S1 Technology
    • Cyber Risk Partners
      Enlist Pro Response and Advisory Teams
    • Technology Alliances
      Integrated, Enterprise-Scale Solutions
    • SentinelOne for AWS
      Hosted in AWS Regions Around the World
    • Channel Partners
      Deliver the Right Solutions, Together
    • SentinelOne for Google Cloud
      Unified, Autonomous Security Giving Defenders the Advantage at Global Scale
    • Partner Locator
      Your Go-to Source for Our Top Partners in Your Region
    Partner Portal→
  • Resources
    Resource Center
    • Case Studies
    • Data Sheets
    • eBooks
    • Reports
    • Videos
    • Webinars
    • Whitepapers
    • Events
    View All Resources→
    Blog
    • Feature Spotlight
    • For CISO/CIO
    • From the Front Lines
    • Identity
    • Cloud
    • macOS
    • SentinelOne Blog
    Blog→
    Tech Resources
    • SentinelLABS
    • Ransomware Anthology
    • Cybersecurity 101
  • About
    About SentinelOne
    • About SentinelOne
      The Industry Leader in Cybersecurity
    • Investor Relations
      Financial Information & Events
    • SentinelLABS
      Threat Research for the Modern Threat Hunter
    • Careers
      The Latest Job Opportunities
    • Press & News
      Company Announcements
    • Cybersecurity Blog
      The Latest Cybersecurity Threats, News, & More
    • FAQ
      Get Answers to Our Most Frequently Asked Questions
    • DataSet
      The Live Data Platform
    • S Foundation
      Securing a Safer Future for All
    • S Ventures
      Investing in the Next Generation of Security, Data and AI
  • Pricing
Get StartedContact Us
CVE Vulnerability Database
Vulnerability Database/CVE-2025-54601

CVE-2025-54601: Samsung Exynos Race Condition Vulnerability

CVE-2025-54601 is a race condition vulnerability in Samsung Exynos 980 firmware affecting the Wi-Fi driver. It enables double free attacks through concurrent ioctl calls. This article covers technical details, affected versions, impact, and mitigation strategies.

Updated: May 15, 2026

CVE-2025-54601 Overview

CVE-2025-54601 is a race condition vulnerability in the Wi-Fi driver shipped with multiple Samsung Exynos Mobile and Wearable Processors. The flaw stems from improper synchronization on a global variable, which leads to a double free condition. An attacker with local access can trigger the race by invoking an ioctl function concurrently from multiple threads. Successful exploitation can corrupt kernel heap structures, enabling denial of service or potential privilege escalation on affected devices.

Critical Impact

Concurrent ioctl invocations against the Wi-Fi driver can free the same global pointer twice, corrupting kernel memory and impacting confidentiality, integrity, and availability on affected Exynos-based devices.

Affected Products

  • Samsung Exynos Mobile Processors: 980, 850, 1080, 1280, 1330, 1380, 1480, 1580
  • Samsung Wearable Processors: W920, W930, W1000
  • Wi-Fi driver firmware shipped with the listed Exynos processors

Discovery Timeline

  • 2026-04-06 - CVE-2025-54601 published to NVD
  • 2026-04-07 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2025-54601

Vulnerability Analysis

The vulnerability resides in the Wi-Fi driver supplied with multiple Samsung Exynos processors. The driver uses a global variable that is read and freed without adequate synchronization primitives. When two or more threads issue overlapping ioctl calls into the driver, both code paths can observe the same valid pointer and proceed to free it. The second free operates on already-released kernel memory, corrupting allocator metadata. This class of issue is tracked under CWE-362: Concurrent Execution using Shared Resource with Improper Synchronization. The condition requires local access and successful timing of the race, which raises attack complexity but does not prevent exploitation by a malicious application running on the device.

Root Cause

The root cause is the absence of locking around access to a shared global pointer in the Wi-Fi driver. Two or more execution contexts can pass the same null-check and release path, resulting in a double free of the same allocation.

Attack Vector

Exploitation requires local code execution with low privileges, such as an unprivileged application on the device. The attacker spawns multiple threads that repeatedly invoke the vulnerable ioctl handler against the Wi-Fi driver device node. Winning the race triggers the double free, which an attacker can shape into heap corruption primitives suitable for privilege escalation in kernel context.

No verified public proof-of-concept code is available for this issue. Refer to the Samsung CVE-2025-54601 advisory for vendor technical details.

Detection Methods for CVE-2025-54601

Indicators of Compromise

  • Unexpected kernel panics or BUG: KASAN: double-free style messages referencing the Wi-Fi driver in dmesg or device crash logs.
  • Repeated ioctl syscalls targeting the Wi-Fi driver device node issued from a single unprivileged process across multiple threads.
  • Wi-Fi subsystem instability, including driver resets or unexpected interface teardown shortly after application launch.

Detection Strategies

  • Monitor mobile device crash telemetry for kernel oops or panic signatures originating in the Exynos Wi-Fi driver modules.
  • Inspect application behavior on managed devices for processes that spawn many threads issuing concurrent ioctl calls to Wi-Fi device files.
  • Correlate Wi-Fi driver fault events with the firmware build identifier to confirm whether the device runs an unpatched Exynos image.

Monitoring Recommendations

  • Centralize mobile crash and kernel log collection for fleets that include Exynos-based handsets and wearables.
  • Track Samsung Semiconductor security bulletins for firmware updates referencing CVE-2025-54601.
  • Flag installation of unvetted applications on devices using affected Exynos processors, since exploitation requires local code execution.

How to Mitigate CVE-2025-54601

Immediate Actions Required

  • Inventory all mobile and wearable devices running the affected Exynos chipsets listed in the advisory.
  • Apply the Samsung firmware update addressing CVE-2025-54601 as soon as the device OEM publishes a build incorporating the patch.
  • Restrict installation of untrusted applications via mobile device management policies until patched firmware is deployed.

Patch Information

Samsung Semiconductor has published advisory information at Samsung Product Security Updates and the issue-specific page Samsung CVE-2025-54601 Details. Device OEMs integrate the corrected Wi-Fi driver into their monthly security maintenance releases. Confirm patch availability with the handset or wearable vendor for each affected model.

Workarounds

  • Enforce application allowlisting through enterprise mobility management to block untrusted local code from running on affected devices.
  • Disable Wi-Fi where operationally feasible on high-risk devices until vendor firmware updates are applied.
  • Limit sideloading and developer mode on managed Exynos-based devices to reduce the pool of code that can invoke driver ioctl paths.
bash
# Example MDM policy check: identify devices running affected Exynos SoCs
adb shell getprop ro.board.platform
adb shell getprop ro.hardware
adb shell getprop ro.build.version.security_patch

Disclaimer: This content was generated using AI. While we strive for accuracy, please verify critical information with official sources.

  • Vulnerability Details
  • TypeRace Condition

  • Vendor/TechSamsung Exynos

  • SeverityHIGH

  • CVSS Score7.0

  • EPSS Probability0.01%

  • Known ExploitedNo
  • CVSS Vector
  • CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
  • Impact Assessment
  • ConfidentialityHigh
  • IntegrityNone
  • AvailabilityHigh
  • CWE References
  • CWE-362
  • Vendor Resources
  • Samsung Product Security Updates

  • Samsung CVE-2025-54601 Details
  • Related CVEs
  • CVE-2025-62818: Samsung Exynos 990 Buffer Overflow Flaw

  • CVE-2025-52908: Samsung Exynos Buffer Overflow Vulnerability

  • CVE-2025-54328: Samsung Exynos Buffer Overflow Vulnerability

  • CVE-2025-57835: Samsung Exynos 990 Firmware DOS Vulnerability
Default Legacy - Prefooter | Experience the World’s Most Advanced Cybersecurity Platform

Experience the Most Advanced Cybersecurity Platform

See how the world’s most intelligent, autonomous cybersecurity platform can protect your organization today and into the future.

Try SentinelOne
  • Get Started
  • Get a Demo
  • Product Tour
  • Why SentinelOne
  • Pricing & Packaging
  • FAQ
  • Contact
  • Contact Us
  • Customer Support
  • SentinelOne Status
  • Language
  • Platform
  • Singularity Platform
  • Singularity Endpoint
  • Singularity Cloud
  • Singularity AI-SIEM
  • Singularity Identity
  • Singularity Marketplace
  • Purple AI
  • Services
  • Wayfinder TDR
  • SentinelOne GO
  • Technical Account Management
  • Support Services
  • Verticals
  • Energy
  • Federal Government
  • Finance
  • Healthcare
  • Higher Education
  • K-12 Education
  • Manufacturing
  • Retail
  • State and Local Government
  • Cybersecurity for SMB
  • Resources
  • Blog
  • Labs
  • Case Studies
  • Videos
  • Product Tours
  • Events
  • Cybersecurity 101
  • eBooks
  • Webinars
  • Whitepapers
  • Press
  • News
  • Ransomware Anthology
  • Company
  • About Us
  • Our Customers
  • Careers
  • Partners
  • Legal & Compliance
  • Security & Compliance
  • Investor Relations
  • S Foundation
  • S Ventures

©2026 SentinelOne, All Rights Reserved.

Privacy Notice Terms of Use

English