CVE-2025-20931
Published: 06 March 2025
Summary
CVE-2025-20931 is a high-severity Out-of-bounds Write (CWE-787) vulnerability in Samsung Notes. Its CVSS base score is 7.3 (High).
Operationally, exploitation aligns with the MITRE ATT&CK technique Exploitation for Client Execution (T1203); ranked at the 25.8th percentile by exploit likelihood (below the median); it is not currently listed in the CISA KEV catalog.
The strongest mitigations our analysis identified are NIST 800-53 SI-10 (Information Input Validation) and SI-16 (Memory Protection).
Threat & Defense at a Glance
Threat & Defense Details
Mitigating Controls (NIST 800-53 r5)AI
Directly mandates identifying, prioritizing, and applying patches such as the Samsung Notes update to 4.4.26.71 that remediates the out-of-bounds write in BMP parsing.
Implements memory protection mechanisms like ASLR and DEP to prevent arbitrary code execution from out-of-bounds write exploits in image parsing.
Requires validation of BMP image inputs to the Samsung Notes application to block malformed files that trigger the out-of-bounds write vulnerability.
MITRE ATT&CK Enterprise TechniquesAI
Why these techniques?
Out-of-bounds write in client app (Samsung Notes) BMP parser enables arbitrary code execution on local system with no user interaction required.
NVD Description
Out-of-bounds write in parsing bmp image in Samsung Notes prior to version 4.4.26.71 allows local attackers to execute arbitrary code.
Deeper analysisAI
CVE-2025-20931 is an out-of-bounds write vulnerability (CWE-787) in the BMP image parsing functionality of the Samsung Notes application, affecting versions prior to 4.4.26.71. Published on 2025-03-06, it carries a CVSS v3.1 base score of 7.3 (AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:H/A:L), indicating high integrity impact with low confidentiality and availability effects.
Local attackers can exploit this vulnerability by supplying a maliciously crafted BMP image to Samsung Notes. With low attack complexity, no privileges or user interaction required, exploitation enables arbitrary code execution on the local system.
Samsung's security advisory for March 2025, available at https://security.samsungmobile.com/serviceWeb.smsb?year=2025&month=03, addresses the vulnerability and mitigation through updates to Samsung Notes version 4.4.26.71 or later.
Details
- CWE(s)