CVE-2025-58478: Samsung Android Buffer Overflow Vulnerability

CVE-2025-58478 Overview

CVE-2025-58478 is an out-of-bounds write vulnerability affecting Samsung's libimagecodec.quram.so library, a core image processing component in Samsung Android devices. This memory corruption flaw allows remote attackers to access out-of-bounds memory, potentially leading to unauthorized information disclosure from affected devices.

The vulnerability exists in Samsung Android versions 13.0, 14.0, 15.0, and 16.0 prior to the SMR Dec-2025 Release 1 security patch. Given the widespread deployment of Samsung mobile devices globally, this vulnerability presents a significant attack surface for threat actors targeting enterprise and consumer mobile environments.

Critical Impact

Remote attackers can exploit this out-of-bounds write vulnerability to access sensitive memory contents without user interaction, potentially exposing confidential data stored on Samsung Android devices.

Affected Products

• Samsung Android 13.0 (all SMR releases prior to Dec-2025 Release 1)
• Samsung Android 14.0 (all SMR releases prior to Dec-2025 Release 1)
• Samsung Android 15.0 (all SMR releases prior to Dec-2025 Release 1)
• Samsung Android 16.0 (all SMR releases prior to Dec-2025 Release 1)

Discovery Timeline

• December 2, 2025 - CVE-2025-58478 published to NVD
• December 5, 2025 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2025-58478

Vulnerability Analysis

This vulnerability is classified as CWE-787 (Out-of-bounds Write), a memory safety issue that occurs when a program writes data past the end or before the beginning of an allocated buffer. In the context of libimagecodec.quram.so, the flaw manifests during image processing operations where insufficient bounds checking allows write operations to corrupt adjacent memory regions.

The vulnerability can be exploited remotely without requiring any user privileges or interaction, making it particularly dangerous in scenarios where Samsung devices process untrusted image content. While the primary impact is confidentiality compromise through memory disclosure, out-of-bounds write vulnerabilities can potentially be chained with other exploits to achieve more severe outcomes.

Root Cause

The root cause of CVE-2025-58478 lies in improper boundary validation within the libimagecodec.quram.so shared library. During image decoding or encoding operations, the library fails to properly validate buffer boundaries before performing write operations. This allows specially crafted image data to trigger writes beyond allocated memory regions, potentially corrupting adjacent memory structures or leaking sensitive information from process memory.

Attack Vector

The attack vector for this vulnerability is network-based, meaning exploitation can occur remotely without local access to the device. Attack scenarios include:

1. Malicious Image Files: An attacker could craft a malicious image file that, when processed by the vulnerable library, triggers the out-of-bounds write condition
2. Messaging Applications: Images received through messaging apps that utilize the system image codec could trigger the vulnerability
3. Web Content: Malicious image content loaded through web browsers or applications could exploit the flaw
4. MMS/RCS Messages: Multimedia messages containing specially crafted images could be used as an attack vector

The vulnerability requires no authentication and no user interaction for exploitation, making it an attractive target for automated attacks. The library is triggered automatically when processing image content, expanding the potential attack surface across various applications.

Detection Methods for CVE-2025-58478

Indicators of Compromise

• Unexpected crashes or ANR (Application Not Responding) events in applications using image processing functionality
• Abnormal memory consumption patterns in processes utilizing libimagecodec.quram.so
• Detection of anomalous image files with malformed headers or unusual size characteristics
• Suspicious outbound network traffic following image processing operations

Detection Strategies

• Deploy mobile threat defense solutions capable of identifying exploitation attempts targeting Android system libraries
• Implement behavioral analysis to detect abnormal memory access patterns during image processing operations
• Monitor application crash reports for patterns indicating memory corruption in image codec libraries
• Utilize Samsung Knox security features for enhanced device monitoring and threat detection

Monitoring Recommendations

• Enable comprehensive logging for mobile device management (MDM) solutions to track device security posture
• Configure SentinelOne Mobile Threat Defense to monitor for exploitation attempts and anomalous behavior
• Establish baseline monitoring for image processing behavior to identify deviations indicative of exploitation
• Implement network monitoring to detect potential data exfiltration following memory disclosure attacks

How to Mitigate CVE-2025-58478

Immediate Actions Required

• Apply the Samsung SMR Dec-2025 Release 1 security update immediately on all affected Samsung Android devices
• Prioritize patching for devices with access to sensitive enterprise data or applications
• Implement mobile device management (MDM) policies to enforce security update compliance
• Consider restricting image downloads from untrusted sources until patches are applied

Patch Information

Samsung has addressed this vulnerability in the SMR Dec-2025 Release 1 security maintenance release. The fix implements proper bounds checking in the libimagecodec.quram.so library to prevent out-of-bounds write operations during image processing.

Organizations should apply this update through their standard mobile device management processes. For enterprise environments, coordinate with Samsung Enterprise Support for deployment assistance. Review the Samsung Security Update December 2025 advisory for complete patch details.

Workarounds

• Restrict automatic image downloading in messaging and email applications until patches can be applied
• Implement network-level filtering to scan and block potentially malicious image content
• Use Samsung Knox containerization to isolate sensitive applications from potentially compromised system libraries
• Configure MDM policies to prevent installation of applications from untrusted sources that may deliver malicious image content

# Verify Samsung Android security patch level via ADB
adb shell getprop ro.build.version.security_patch

# Expected output for patched devices should show December 2025 or later
# 2025-12-01 or later indicates the patch has been applied

# Check current Android version
adb shell getprop ro.build.version.release