Security readout for executives and security teams
Plain-English summary
This is a Z-Wave pairing weakness. During device enrollment, an attacker physically nearby could force newer S2 security down to weaker S0 or lower security, then abuse a separate older weakness to intercept or spoof traffic. The sources do not show active exploitation or a universal patch.
Executive priority
Treat this as a targeted physical-proximity IoT risk, not a broad internet emergency. Prioritize facilities with Z-Wave locks or security devices and formalize secure pairing procedures. Product-specific remediation evidence is limited, so vendor confirmation matters before operational decisions.
Technical view
CVE-2018-25029 describes a Z-Wave specification behavior where S2 can be downgraded during pairing. The reported attack requires radio proximity during inclusion and depends on chaining CVE-2013-20003 after downgrade. Affected scope is listed as Silicon Labs Z-Wave S2, but product-level impact details are incomplete.
Likely exposure
Exposure is most relevant for environments using Z-Wave S2 devices, especially smart locks or other high-impact IoT endpoints, where pairing occurs in reachable radio range. Existing devices already paired with strong S2 may have lower exposure, but sources do not provide full product-specific status.
Exploitation context
The source bundle supports a proximity-based pairing attack, not remote internet exploitation. KEV is false, and no cited source in the bundle confirms active exploitation in the wild. The practical risk depends on pairing windows, attacker radio proximity, device role, and whether downgrade succeeded.
Researcher notes
Key evidence gaps are product-specific affected versions, confirmed mitigations, and real-world exploitation. The CVE describes a specification-level downgrade path and chaining requirement with CVE-2013-20003. Validation should focus on observed security class, pairing process controls, and vendor statements.
Mitigation direction
- Review Silicon Labs and device-vendor guidance for affected Z-Wave S2 products.
- Keep Z-Wave controllers and endpoints on vendor-supported firmware.
- Pair devices only in controlled physical areas with limited nearby radio access.
- Avoid accepting unexpected S0 or lower-security inclusion for S2-capable devices.
- Re-pair insecurely included devices only according to vendor instructions.
Validation and detection
- Inventory Z-Wave controllers and endpoints that support or require S2 security.
- Check current inclusion security class for each high-value Z-Wave device.
- Review controller logs for unexpected downgrade or S0 inclusion events.
- Confirm vendor advisories and firmware status for each controller and endpoint.
- Prioritize validation for locks, alarms, access control, and safety-relevant devices.
Public sources used
Generated from the cited source records. This long-tail analysis has not been individually reviewed by a named human.
Conservative CVE-to-ATT&CK context
These mappings and lookup hints may be relevant to the vulnerability behavior, CWE, affected product, or exposure path. Glexia-inferred context is not an official MITRE, ATT&CK, CWE, or CVE Program mapping.
ATT&CK lookup starting points
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CWE-757: Exact CWE lookup
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Open ATT&CK lookupCVE-2018-25029 mapping review
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Open ATT&CK lookup- Severity
- Unknown
- CVSS
- Not scored
- Known Exploited
- No
- Published
CNA and ADP enrichment extracted from CVE v5
These fields come from the CVE record and ADP containers, not from Glexia's Take. They preserve time-varying source decisions such as CISA SSVC, KEV status, CVSS metrics, and provider references.
CVSS and timeline data
No CVSS vectors or timeline events were available in the normalized CVE source material.
Source materials
- CVE List V5 sourceCVE List V5
- https://www.pentestpartners.com/security-blog/z-shave-exploiting-z-wave-downgrade-attacks/CVE reference · x_refsource_MISC
- https://community.silabs.com/s/share/a5U1M000000knqNUAQ/updated-your-zwave-smart-locks-are-safe-and-secureCVE reference · x_refsource_CONFIRM
Products and packages named in the record
CWE details
CWE links open Glexia weakness intelligence pages with official CWE context, developer remediation guidance, and related CVE mappings.
Selection of Less-Secure Algorithm During Negotiation ('Algorithm Downgrade')
Selection of Less-Secure Algorithm During Negotiation ('Algorithm Downgrade') represents a recurring weakness pattern that can create exploitable paths when design, validation, or implementation controls are missing.