CVE-2025-57834: Samsung Exynos 980 Firmware DOS Vulnerability

CVE-2025-57834 Overview

CVE-2025-57834 is a denial of service vulnerability affecting a broad range of Samsung Exynos Mobile Processors, Wearable Processors, and Modems. The flaw stems from the absence of proper input validation [CWE-20] within the affected firmware. A remote attacker can send crafted input over the network to trigger the condition without authentication or user interaction. Successful exploitation results in a high availability impact on the targeted device, with no effect on confidentiality or integrity.

The vulnerability covers a wide hardware footprint, including flagship Exynos SoCs, wearable chipsets, and standalone 5G modems used across Samsung mobile and wearable products.

Critical Impact

Unauthenticated remote attackers can trigger a denial of service across a large family of Samsung Exynos processors and modems, disrupting cellular connectivity and device availability.

Affected Products

• Samsung Exynos Mobile Processors: 980, 850, 990, 1080, 2100, 1280, 2200, 1330, 1380, 1480, 1580, 1680, 2400, 2500
• Samsung Exynos Wearable Processors: 9110, W920, W930, W1000
• Samsung Exynos Modems: 5123, 5300, 5400, 5410

Discovery Timeline

• 2026-04-06 - CVE-2025-57834 published to NVD
• 2026-04-07 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2025-57834

Vulnerability Analysis

The vulnerability is classified under [CWE-20] Improper Input Validation. Affected Exynos firmware fails to properly validate input received over the network-facing interface, most likely within the cellular baseband or modem processing path. When the firmware processes a malformed or unexpected message, the lack of validation causes a fault condition that disrupts normal operation.

Because Exynos modems handle protocol messages from the mobile network, the attack surface is exposed to any adversary capable of delivering crafted radio or signaling traffic to the device. The result is loss of availability, such as a modem crash, baseband reset, or loss of cellular service. The wide range of affected SoCs and modems indicates the defective input handling is shared across multiple firmware generations.

Root Cause

The root cause is the absence of proper input validation in firmware routines that parse network-supplied data. Without bounds and structural checks, attacker-controlled input reaches code paths that cannot safely process it, leading to a fault that terminates or stalls the affected component.

Attack Vector

The attack vector is network-based and requires no privileges or user interaction. An attacker within range of the affected device, or capable of injecting traffic into the cellular path (for example via a rogue base station), can deliver malicious input to the baseband. Because no verified proof-of-concept code has been published, technical specifics of the offending message format are not publicly documented. Refer to the Samsung CVE-2025-54328 Details advisory for vendor-supplied details.

Detection Methods for CVE-2025-57834

Indicators of Compromise

• Unexpected modem or baseband resets, repeated cellular disconnects, or persistent loss of mobile data on devices using affected Exynos SoCs and modems.
• Kernel or RIL (Radio Interface Layer) logs showing modem crash dumps, ramdumps, or repeated SSR (Subsystem Restart) events for the modem.
• Anomalous radio signaling traffic from nearby unknown base stations targeting affected device populations.

Detection Strategies

• Correlate device fleet telemetry for clusters of modem crashes or cellular connectivity loss localized to specific Exynos models.
• Monitor mobile device management (MDM) and endpoint telemetry for repeated baseband restarts that coincide with presence in specific physical locations.
• Review carrier-side signaling logs for malformed or non-standard messages addressed to subscribers using affected hardware.

Monitoring Recommendations

• Track firmware versions across managed mobile and wearable inventories to identify devices running vulnerable Exynos firmware.
• Alert on patterns of modem subsystem restarts that exceed baseline rates within a defined time window.
• Maintain visibility into rogue base station detections and unusual cellular environment indicators reported by managed devices.

How to Mitigate CVE-2025-57834

Immediate Actions Required

• Inventory mobile and wearable devices using affected Exynos processors and modems, and prioritize them for patching.
• Apply Samsung security updates as soon as they are delivered through carrier or OEM channels.
• For high-risk users, restrict operation in untrusted radio environments until patches are deployed.

Patch Information

Samsung publishes firmware fixes through its semiconductor product security update channel. Review the Samsung Security Updates portal for the current advisory and corresponding firmware versions addressing CVE-2025-57834. Device-level updates are delivered through standard Samsung and carrier OTA mechanisms.

Workarounds

• No vendor-supplied workaround is documented; apply firmware updates as the primary remediation.
• Where feasible, disable or limit cellular radio usage on affected devices in environments with elevated risk of rogue base station activity.
• Enforce timely OTA update policies through MDM to reduce the exposure window for unpatched devices.

# Example: query Android device firmware build via adb to identify affected baseband
adb shell getprop ro.build.version.incremental
adb shell getprop gsm.version.baseband