Security readout for executives and security teams
Plain-English summary
This is a Samsung mobile image-processing vulnerability that can let an attacker run code after a victim interacts with malicious content. It affects Samsung Mobile Devices before the April 2025 security release. CISA lists it as known exploited, so this is not just theoretical risk.
Executive priority
Treat this as urgent for Samsung fleets because known exploitation is documented and the impact is full device compromise. Patch availability and deployment coverage should be verified quickly, especially for high-value users.
Technical view
CVE-2025-21042 is a CWE-787 out-of-bounds write in Samsung's libimagecodec.quram.so. The CVSS 3.1 score is 8.8 with network attack vector, low complexity, no privileges required, and user interaction required. Successful exploitation can impact confidentiality, integrity, and availability.
Likely exposure
Likely exposure is Samsung Mobile Devices on Android 13, 14, or 15 that have not received SMR Apr-2025 Release 1. Exact exposure depends on device model, carrier, region, and patch level.
Exploitation context
Active exploitation is supported by the CISA KEV listing. Unit 42 reporting associates the issue with Landfall commercial-grade Android spyware. The provided sources do not include safe validation indicators beyond patch and version checks.
Researcher notes
The bundle identifies the vulnerable component, weakness class, CVSS vector, affected platform family, Samsung patch reference, KEV status, and Unit 42 spyware context. It does not provide exploit mechanics, detection logic, or complete model-level affected-device details.
Mitigation direction
- Apply Samsung SMR Apr-2025 Release 1 or later where available.
- Prioritize executive, security, legal, and high-risk user devices.
- Check Samsung guidance for device-specific patch availability.
- Restrict risky message and file handling until devices are patched.
- Monitor CISA KEV and Samsung advisories for updates.
Validation and detection
- Inventory Samsung Mobile Devices running Android 13, 14, or 15.
- Verify each device security patch level against SMR Apr-2025 Release 1.
- Confirm whether vulnerable devices are used by high-risk personnel.
- Review MDM compliance reports for missing April 2025 Samsung updates.
- Track remediation exceptions by model, carrier, and business owner.
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
Use these exact CWE pages and searches to review the Glexia ATT&CK library from this CVE's weakness and description context.
CWE-787: Exact CWE lookup
Use the exact CWE identifier as the starting point before reviewing related ATT&CK behavior. Open the exact CWE lookup page first, then review the ATT&CK searches from that MITRE weakness context. This is a Glexia lookup hint, not an official ATT&CK mapping.
Open ATT&CK lookupExecution behavior lookup
The CVE wording references code or command execution, so execution technique review may help defensive triage. This is a Glexia inferred lookup path, not an official MITRE, ATT&CK, or CVE Program mapping.
Open ATT&CK lookupCVE-2025-21042 mapping review
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Open ATT&CK lookup- Severity
- High
- CVSS
- 8.8 (3.1)
- Known Exploited
- Yes
- Published
Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
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.
CISA KEV status
CVSS vector scores
1 official scoreWe collect every scored CVSS vector available in the official CNA and ADP containers. When more than one version is present, the table keeps the source vectors side by side instead of collapsing them into the highest score.
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H2.85.9Primary CVE scoreVulnerability scoring details
Base CVSS 3.1 score
8.8HighVector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
Source materials
- CVE List V5 sourceCVE List V5
- https://security.samsungmobile.com/securityUpdate.smsb?year=2025&month=04CVE reference
- https://www.cisa.gov/known-exploited-vulnerabilities-catalog?field_cve=CVE-2025-21042CVE reference · government-resource
- https://unit42.paloaltonetworks.com/landfall-is-new-commercial-grade-android-spyware/CVE reference
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.
Out-of-bounds Write
Out-of-bounds Write represents a recurring weakness pattern that can create exploitable paths when design, validation, or implementation controls are missing.