Raw vector
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:L/A:NSummary
CVE-2021-25487 is a high-severity Out-of-bounds Read (CWE-125) vulnerability in Samsung Android. Its CVSS base score is 7.3 (High).
Operationally, exploitation aligns with the MITRE ATT&CK technique Exploitation for Privilege Escalation (T1068); ranked at the 47th percentile by exploit likelihood (below the median); 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 an out-of-bounds read (CWE-125) caused by missing boundary checks on a buffer inside the set_skb_priv() function of the modem interface driver. It affects Samsung devices running versions of this driver prior to the SMR Oct-2021 Release 1 and carries a CVSS 3.1 score of 7.3 with local attack vector, low complexity, and low privileges required.
A local attacker who can reach the modem interface driver can trigger the OOB read, which leads to dereferencing an invalid function pointer and subsequent arbitrary code execution. The impact includes high confidentiality exposure and limited integrity modification within a changed security scope, while availability remains unaffected.
Samsung's October 2021 security bulletin addresses the issue through the SMR Oct-2021 Release 1 update that corrects the missing bounds check. The vulnerability is also catalogued by CISA among known exploited vulnerabilities, indicating that device operators should apply the vendor patch as a priority mitigation.
EU & UK References
- 🇪🇺 ENISA EUVD: EUVD-2021-12383
Vulnerability Data
Lack of boundary checking of a buffer in set_skb_priv() of modem interface driver prior to SMR Oct-2021 Release 1 allows OOB read and it results in arbitrary code execution by dereference of invalid function pointer.
- CWE(s)
- KEV Date Added
- 29 June 2023
Related Threats
MITRE ATT&CK Enterprise Techniques
CVEs Like This One
Affected Assets
Mitigating Controls
Mitigating Controls (NIST CSF 2.0) AI
Derived directly from the weakness types (CWEs) cited in the NVD entry via our AI-authored CWE→CSF cross-walk (authority under review) — links open the control.
Secure-development practices such as bounds checking and memory-safe languages directly prevent out-of-bounds reads.
Vulnerability scanning and recording can discover instances of out-of-bounds reads after code is deployed.
Routine patching replaces vulnerable code containing out-of-bounds read flaws.
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.
Security testing in development and acceptance includes fuzzing and static analysis that detect out-of-bounds read defects before release.
Logging can record evidence of an out-of-bounds read but does not prevent the weakness itself.
Secure development life cycle mandates input validation and bounds checking that directly prevent out-of-bounds reads.
Application security requirements include explicit bounds and memory-safety specifications that mitigate buffer over-reads.
Secure system architecture and engineering principles require memory-safe design patterns and runtime protections against out-of-bounds access.
Secure coding standards explicitly forbid unsafe pointer arithmetic and mandate bounds-checked reads, eliminating CWE-125.