Cyber Resilience

CVE-2025-21048

Path Traversal in Samsung Android 13.0 … 16.0

Published
10 October 2025
Modified
23 October 2025
Patch / advisory
CVSS Score v3.1 6.7
Click a component to see what it means
Raw vectorCVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
EPSS Score 0.0016 6th percentile
Risk Priority 45 floored blend · peak EPSS

Summary

CVE-2025-21048 is a medium-severity Path Traversal (CWE-22) vulnerability in Samsung Android. Its CVSS base score is 6.7 (Medium).

Operationally, ranked at the 6th percentile by exploit likelihood (below the median); it is not currently listed in the CISA KEV catalog.

The strongest mitigations our analysis identified map to SI-10 (Information Input Validation) and AC-6 (Least Privilege) — see the control section below for these in your framework.

OWASP Top 10 for Web (2025)

EU & UK References

Vulnerability Data

Relative path traversal in Knox Enterprise prior to SMR Oct-2025 Release 1 allows local attackers to execute arbitrary code.

CWE(s)

Related Threats

CVEs Like This One

CVE-2026-20982Same product: Samsung Android
CVE-2024-34653Same product: Samsung Android
CVE-2023-21456Same product: Samsung Android
CVE-2024-49411Same product: Samsung Android
CVE-2025-21015Same product: Samsung Android
CVE-2024-20804Same product: Samsung Android
CVE-2024-20805Same product: Samsung Android
CVE-2024-34656Same vendor: Samsung
CVE-2025-54453Same vendor: Samsung
CVE-2025-20949Same vendor: Samsung

Affected Assets

samsung
android
13.0, 14.0, 15.0, 16.0

Mitigating Controls

Control response

Prevent
Stop it (NIST 800-53)
  • SI-10 Information Input Validation
  • AC-6 Least Privilege
Detect
Catch it (NIST detect / respond)
  • SI-7 Software, Firmware, and Information Integrity
Harden
Shrink the surface (DISA STIG)

Validate
Prove the fix (OWASP ASVS)
  • V5.3.2

Mitigating Controls (NIST 800-53 r5) AI

prevent

Directly blocks the relative path traversal by validating and sanitizing file/path inputs before they reach Knox Enterprise file operations.

prevent

Limits the privileges of the local process or user so that even a successful path traversal cannot execute arbitrary code outside the allowed scope.

detect

Detects unauthorized modification or execution of code/files that result from exploitation of the path traversal flaw.

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.

PR.PS-02 partial match
prevents

Patching/maintenance can remediate known path-traversal flaws in deployed software (partial prevention of exploitability) but does nothing to stop the coding defect from being introduced in the first place.

PR.AA-05 none match
prevents

PR.AA-05 defines and reviews access policies but does not address code-level pathname neutralization, so neither direction prevents CWE-22.

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.

detects

Security testing in development catches path traversal via static/dynamic analysis.

prevents

Secure SDLC mandates input validation and path sanitization that directly prevent path traversal.

prevents

Application security requirements include rules for safe file handling and canonicalization.

prevents

Secure architecture principles require least-privilege file access and directory isolation.

prevents

Secure coding standards explicitly forbid unsafe path construction and mandate safe APIs.

mitigates

Information access restriction limits which files an application may read or write.

References