CVE-2021-25371
Samsung Android 10.0 … 11.0
Raw vector
CVSS:3.1/AV:P/AC:H/PR:H/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:HCVSS and EPSS are reproduced from their sources (NVD, FIRST EPSS). Risk Priority is our own derived reading, not an NVD score.
Summary
CVE-2021-25371 is a medium-severity Hidden Functionality (CWE-912) vulnerability in Samsung Android. Its CVSS base score is 6.1 (Medium).
Operationally, ranked in the top 44% of CVEs by exploit likelihood; CISA has added it to the Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog.
Deeper analysis AI-assisted summary
Synthesised by an AI model from the NVD description and linked references — a reading aid, not an authoritative source.
The vulnerability is present in the DSP driver on affected Samsung devices prior to the SMR Mar-2021 Release 1 update. It permits an attacker to load arbitrary ELF libraries inside the DSP, which is tracked under CWE-912 and carries a CVSS 3.1 score of 6.1 reflecting physical access, high attack complexity, and high privileges required for exploitation.
An attacker with physical access and the necessary privileges can load malicious ELF libraries into the DSP, resulting in high impact to confidentiality, integrity, and availability on the device. The attack vector requires direct physical interaction and does not involve user interaction or network adjacency.
Samsung security bulletins direct users to apply the March 2021 maintenance release that resolves the issue in the DSP driver. The vulnerability is also listed in the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog, confirming observed real-world exploitation activity.
EU & UK References
- 🇪🇺 ENISA EUVD: EUVD-2021-12267
Vulnerability Data
A vulnerability in DSP driver prior to SMR Mar-2021 Release 1 allows attackers load arbitrary ELF libraries inside DSP.
- CWE(s)
- KEV Date Added
- 29 June 2023
Related Threats
CVEs Like This One
Affected Assets
Mitigating Controls
Likely Mitigating Controls AI
Per-CVE control mapping for this CVE has not run yet; the list below is derived from the weakness types (CWEs) cited in the NVD entry.
Documenting every system component at the required granularity and reviewing the inventory detects or prevents hidden functionality from remaining undetected.
Recovery eliminates hidden functionality or backdoors introduced during compromise.
Policy requires supplier transparency and testing to detect hidden functionality or backdoors inserted in the supply chain.
Screening high-risk technical positions lowers the probability that hidden functionality or backdoors will be added by authorized personnel.
Hunting identifies hidden functionality used for persistence or evasion after initial compromise.
TSCM surveys discover and eliminate hidden surveillance functionality that would otherwise remain undetected in the environment.
Change control, approval gates, and flaw tracking force hidden functionality to be either documented or discovered and removed.
Vetting and integrity controls during acquisition reduce the likelihood of hidden backdoors or malicious functionality introduced by suppliers.
Mitigating Controls (ISO/IEC 27001:2022 Annex A) AI
Derived directly from the weakness types (CWEs) cited in the NVD entry via our AI-authored CWE→ISO cross-walk (authority under review) — links open the control.
Monitoring activities can detect anomalous behavior from hidden functions but do not eliminate the weakness.
Secure development life cycle mandates documented requirements and design reviews that would expose undocumented hidden functionality.
A.8.26 only requires that security requirements (including resilience against attacks such as SQL injection) be identified and specified during development or acquisition; it does not itself enforce, implement, or prevent the presence of hidden/backdoor functionality that violates those requirements.
Secure system architecture and engineering principles require transparent, documented designs that preclude hidden functionality.
Secure coding standards reduce the likelihood of introducing hidden code but do not address its detection or removal.
Security testing in development and acceptance can discover undocumented functionality before release.
Hardening callouts derived
DISA STIG baselines are authored against specific weaknesses. Where this CVE cites a broad weakness class, the mapping is not asserted at that abstraction (owner ruling, 2026-09-25: grade only at Base and below), so no rule is shown here rather than a rule shown against the wrong grain.
- No fine-grained STIG row for CWE-912, a class-level weakness, and none of its children carries one either.