CVE-2025-54602: Samsung Exynos Use-After-Free Vulnerability

CVE-2025-54602 Overview

A critical use-after-free vulnerability has been discovered in the Wi-Fi driver of Samsung Mobile and Wearable Processors running Exynos chipsets. The vulnerability stems from improper synchronization on a global variable within the Wi-Fi driver, which can be exploited by an attacker to trigger a race condition through concurrent ioctl function calls from multiple threads. Successful exploitation could allow a local attacker with low privileges to achieve arbitrary code execution with elevated privileges, potentially compromising the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of affected devices.

Critical Impact
Local attackers can exploit this race condition vulnerability in Samsung Exynos Wi-Fi drivers to trigger a use-after-free condition, potentially leading to arbitrary code execution with kernel-level privileges on affected mobile and wearable devices.

Affected Products

Samsung Exynos 980 (Mobile Processor) and Firmware
Samsung Exynos 850 (Mobile Processor) and Firmware
Samsung Exynos 1080 (Mobile Processor) and Firmware
Samsung Exynos 1280 (Mobile Processor) and Firmware
Samsung Exynos 1330 (Mobile Processor) and Firmware
Samsung Exynos 1380 (Mobile Processor) and Firmware
Samsung Exynos 1480 (Mobile Processor) and Firmware
Samsung Exynos 1580 (Mobile Processor) and Firmware
Samsung Exynos W920 (Wearable Processor) and Firmware
Samsung Exynos W930 (Wearable Processor) and Firmware
Samsung Exynos W1000 (Wearable Processor) and Firmware

Discovery Timeline

April 6, 2026 - CVE-2025-54602 published to NVD
April 7, 2026 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2025-54602

Vulnerability Analysis

This vulnerability is classified as CWE-362 (Concurrent Execution using Shared Resource with Improper Synchronization), commonly known as a race condition. The flaw exists in the Samsung Exynos Wi-Fi driver where a global variable lacks proper synchronization primitives such as locks, mutexes, or atomic operations.

When multiple threads invoke specific ioctl functions concurrently, a race condition can occur where one thread frees memory while another thread still holds a reference to it. This creates a use-after-free scenario where the second thread may access memory that has already been deallocated and potentially reallocated for a different purpose.

The exploitation requires local access to the device, making it a post-compromise escalation vector or exploitable through a malicious application installed on the target device. Due to the local attack vector and high complexity required to win the race condition, exploitation is non-trivial but achievable by skilled attackers.

Root Cause

The root cause of this vulnerability is improper synchronization on a global variable in the Wi-Fi driver code. The driver fails to implement proper locking mechanisms to protect shared state when handling concurrent ioctl requests from multiple threads. This design flaw allows a time-of-check to time-of-use (TOCTOU) window where memory can be freed by one thread while still being accessed by another.

Kernel drivers handling shared resources must implement proper synchronization primitives (spinlocks, mutexes, or RCU mechanisms) to prevent concurrent access issues. The absence of these protections in the affected Wi-Fi driver creates an exploitable race condition.

Attack Vector

An attacker can exploit this vulnerability through the following attack chain:

Initial Access: Attacker gains local access to the device, either through a malicious application or other compromise vector
Thread Creation: The attacker creates multiple threads that simultaneously invoke the vulnerable ioctl function on the Wi-Fi driver
Race Triggering: By carefully timing the concurrent calls, the attacker can trigger the race condition
Memory Corruption: One thread frees the global variable while another still references it, causing a use-after-free condition
Exploitation: The attacker can potentially control the freed memory contents, leading to arbitrary code execution with kernel privileges

The vulnerability is exploited through concurrent ioctl calls to the Wi-Fi driver interface. An attacker with local access creates multiple threads that simultaneously invoke specific ioctl functions, attempting to trigger the race condition by freeing memory in one thread while another thread still holds a reference to the same memory region. Successful exploitation requires precise timing to win the race, but can result in kernel-level code execution.

Detection Methods for CVE-2025-54602

Indicators of Compromise

Unusual Wi-Fi driver activity including excessive ioctl calls in a short time period
System crash logs (kernel panics) related to the Wi-Fi driver or memory corruption
Anomalous process behavior with multiple threads accessing Wi-Fi driver interfaces concurrently
Memory corruption signatures in kernel debug logs

Detection Strategies

Monitor for applications making rapid, concurrent ioctl calls to the Wi-Fi driver interfaces
Implement kernel-level monitoring for use-after-free patterns in Wi-Fi driver memory regions
Deploy endpoint detection solutions capable of identifying suspicious multi-threaded activity targeting device drivers
Analyze application behavior for signs of deliberate race condition exploitation attempts

Monitoring Recommendations

Enable kernel debugging and logging to capture Wi-Fi driver errors and memory corruption events
Monitor installed applications for suspicious permissions related to Wi-Fi or network interfaces
Review Samsung device logs for driver-related crashes or anomalies
Consider implementing runtime application self-protection (RASP) for enterprise mobile devices

How to Mitigate CVE-2025-54602

Immediate Actions Required

Apply the latest firmware updates from Samsung for all affected Exynos-powered devices
Restrict installation of applications from untrusted sources on affected devices
Implement mobile device management (MDM) policies to enforce timely security updates
Consider disabling Wi-Fi on critical devices until patches are applied if feasible

Patch Information

Samsung has acknowledged this vulnerability and released security updates to address the improper synchronization issue. Refer to the Samsung Product Security Updates page for the latest firmware versions that remediate CVE-2025-54602. Detailed information about the patch is available at the Samsung CVE-2025-54602 Details page.

Organizations should prioritize updating all devices running the affected Exynos processors, including:

Mobile devices with Exynos 980, 850, 1080, 1280, 1330, 1380, 1480, and 1580 processors
Wearable devices with Exynos W920, W930, and W1000 processors

Workarounds

Limit device access to trusted users and applications only
Implement network segmentation to isolate potentially compromised mobile and wearable devices
Deploy mobile threat defense solutions to detect exploitation attempts
Consider temporary Wi-Fi restrictions on high-value devices until firmware updates can be applied

bash

# Verify firmware version on Samsung devices
# Check Settings > About Phone > Software Information > Baseband version
# Ensure the baseband/modem firmware is updated to the patched version

# For enterprise MDM environments, enforce firmware update policies
# Example ADB command to check device security patch level:
adb shell getprop ro.build.version.security_patch