CVE-2025-52517 – A race condition vulnerability in the issimian ... (How to Fix)

Q: What is the severity of CVE-2025-52517?

CVE-2025-52517 has a CVSS score of 5.9 (MEDIUM). A race condition vulnerability in the issimian device driver for Samsung Exynos processors causes a double free, leading to denial of service. This affects Samsung mobile and wearable devices using Exynos 1330, 1380, 1480, 2400, 1580, and 2500 processors. Attackers could crash the camera subsystem or potentially the entire device.

📋 TL;DR

A race condition vulnerability in the issimian device driver for Samsung Exynos processors causes a double free, leading to denial of service. This affects Samsung mobile and wearable devices using Exynos 1330, 1380, 1480, 2400, 1580, and 2500 processors. Attackers could crash the camera subsystem or potentially the entire device.

💻 Affected Systems

Products:

Samsung Galaxy smartphones
Samsung Galaxy wearables
Devices using Exynos processors

Versions: All versions using affected Exynos processors before security patch

Operating Systems: Android, Wear OS

Default Config Vulnerable: ⚠️ Yes

Notes: Affects devices with Exynos 1330, 1380, 1480, 2400, 1580, 2500 processors. Vulnerability is in hardware driver, not OS-specific.

📦 What is this software?

⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact

🔴

Worst Case

Complete device crash requiring reboot, potential kernel panic leading to persistent denial of service until hardware reset.

🟠

Likely Case

Camera application crashes or becomes unresponsive, requiring application restart or device reboot.

🟢

If Mitigated

Limited to camera functionality disruption with minimal system-wide impact.

🌐 Internet-Facing: LOW - Requires local access to device or malicious app installation.

🏢 Internal Only: MEDIUM - Could be exploited by malicious apps or users with physical access to device.

🎯 Exploit Status

Public PoC: ✅ No

Weaponized: UNKNOWN

Unauthenticated Exploit: ✅ No

Complexity: HIGH

Race condition exploitation requires precise timing and local access. No public exploits known at this time.

🛠️ Fix & Mitigation

✅ Official Fix

Patch Version: Device-specific security updates from Samsung

Vendor Advisory: https://semiconductor.samsung.com/support/quality-support/product-security-updates/cve-2025-52517/

Restart Required: Yes

Instructions:

1. Check for device updates in Settings > Software update. 2. Install available security updates. 3. Reboot device after installation.

🔧 Temporary Workarounds

Disable camera permissions

android

Revoke camera permissions from untrusted applications to reduce attack surface

Limit camera app usage

all

Avoid using camera applications from untrusted sources

🧯 If You Can't Patch

Restrict physical access to devices
Implement application allowlisting to prevent malicious app installation

🔍 How to Verify

Check if Vulnerable:

Check device model and processor in Settings > About phone. If using Exynos 1330, 1380, 1480, 2400, 1580, or 2500, device may be vulnerable.

Check Version:

Not applicable - check through device settings UI

Verify Fix Applied:

Check security patch level in Settings > About phone > Software information. Ensure latest security updates are installed.

📡 Detection & Monitoring

Log Indicators:

Camera service crashes
Kernel panic logs
Issimian driver error messages

Network Indicators:

None - local vulnerability only

SIEM Query:

Not applicable for mobile device logs

📊 Metadata

CVE ID: CVE-2025-52517

CVSS v3 Score: 5.9 (MEDIUM)

CVSS Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H

CWE: CWE-362

EPSS Score: 0.04% exploit probability (12.6th percentile)

Published: January 5, 2026

Last Updated: January 27, 2026

🔗 References

https://semiconductor.samsung.com/support/quality-support/product-security-updates/ Vendor Advisory
https://semiconductor.samsung.com/support/quality-support/product-security-updates/cve-2025-52517/ Vendor Advisory

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