CVE-2025-58345: Samsung Exynos 980 Firmware DOS Vulnerability

CVE-2025-58345 Overview

A memory exhaustion vulnerability has been identified in the Wi-Fi driver of multiple Samsung Exynos Mobile and Wearable Processors. The vulnerability exists in the handling of write operations to the /proc/driver/unifi0/ap_certif_11ax_mode interface, where unbounded memory allocation occurs when processing a large buffer. This flaw allows a local attacker to exhaust kernel memory, leading to a denial-of-service condition on affected devices.

Critical Impact

Local attackers can trigger kernel memory exhaustion through the Wi-Fi driver's proc filesystem interface, causing device instability or complete denial of service across Samsung mobile phones and wearable devices powered by affected Exynos processors.

Affected Products

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

Discovery Timeline

• 2026-02-03 - CVE-2025-58345 published to NVD
• 2026-02-05 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2025-58345

Vulnerability Analysis

This vulnerability is classified as CWE-770 (Allocation of Resources Without Limits or Throttling). The Wi-Fi driver in affected Samsung Exynos processors fails to properly validate or limit the size of input buffers when processing write operations to the /proc/driver/unifi0/ap_certif_11ax_mode proc filesystem entry.

When a user with local access writes an excessively large buffer to this interface, the driver attempts to allocate kernel memory without proper bounds checking. Since no upper limit is enforced on the allocation size, an attacker can supply arbitrarily large data that forces the kernel to exhaust available memory resources.

The vulnerability requires local access to the device, meaning an attacker would need either physical access or a foothold through another vulnerability or malicious application. However, no user interaction is required once local access is established, and no special privileges are needed to exploit this flaw.

Root Cause

The root cause of CVE-2025-58345 lies in the absence of input validation and resource allocation limits within the Wi-Fi driver's proc filesystem handler. Specifically, the ap_certif_11ax_mode write handler accepts buffer sizes without implementing:

1. Maximum size checks on incoming write requests
2. Memory allocation quotas or throttling mechanisms
3. Proper validation of user-supplied buffer lengths

This design flaw allows the kernel to attempt memory allocations that exceed available resources, ultimately leading to memory exhaustion and system instability.

Attack Vector

The attack vector is local, requiring the attacker to have access to the target device. Exploitation involves writing a large buffer to the vulnerable proc filesystem entry located at /proc/driver/unifi0/ap_certif_11ax_mode.

An attacker could exploit this vulnerability through:

1. A malicious application installed on the device that performs the write operation
2. An attacker with physical access to the device through ADB or shell access
3. Chaining with another vulnerability that provides initial local access

The exploitation is straightforward once local access is achieved, as the attacker simply needs to write an oversized buffer to the vulnerable proc entry to trigger unbounded memory allocation, eventually exhausting kernel memory and causing a denial-of-service condition.

Detection Methods for CVE-2025-58345

Indicators of Compromise

• Unexpected memory pressure or out-of-memory (OOM) killer events on affected Samsung devices
• Abnormal write operations to /proc/driver/unifi0/ap_certif_11ax_mode with unusually large buffer sizes
• System logs showing kernel memory allocation failures related to the Wi-Fi driver
• Device freezing or rebooting unexpectedly, particularly after Wi-Fi related operations

Detection Strategies

• Monitor system calls and file operations targeting the /proc/driver/unifi0/ directory for anomalous activity
• Implement kernel auditing to detect large write operations to proc filesystem entries associated with the Wi-Fi driver
• Deploy mobile threat detection solutions capable of identifying applications attempting to exploit proc filesystem interfaces
• Monitor for OOM events and correlate with Wi-Fi driver activity

Monitoring Recommendations

• Enable kernel memory allocation logging on affected devices during security assessments
• Configure alerts for applications accessing sensitive proc filesystem entries outside of expected system processes
• Implement behavioral analysis for installed applications that interact with low-level kernel interfaces
• Regularly review device stability logs for patterns consistent with memory exhaustion attacks

How to Mitigate CVE-2025-58345

Immediate Actions Required

• Apply firmware updates from Samsung as they become available through the device manufacturer or carrier
• Review installed applications and remove any untrusted or unknown software
• Restrict physical access to affected devices
• Consider disabling Wi-Fi temporarily on critical devices until patches are applied (where operationally feasible)

Patch Information

Samsung has acknowledged this vulnerability and published security advisories. Device owners should apply firmware updates through their device manufacturer's standard update process. Enterprise users should coordinate with their mobile device management (MDM) solutions to deploy updates across managed devices.

For detailed patch information, refer to the Samsung Security Updates page and the Samsung CVE-2025-58345 Details advisory.

Workarounds

• Restrict installation of applications from untrusted sources to minimize the risk of malicious apps exploiting this vulnerability
• Enable device encryption and secure boot features to reduce the attack surface
• Implement mobile threat defense solutions that can detect and block exploitation attempts
• For enterprise environments, use MDM policies to restrict access to developer options and ADB

# Check device firmware version on Android (via ADB)
adb shell getprop ro.build.fingerprint
adb shell getprop ro.build.version.security_patch

# Verify Wi-Fi driver module status
adb shell lsmod | grep -i wifi