Historical catalog analysis: CISA added this entry on October 02, 2025. The entry reflects catalog information retrieved on August 31, 2026, not a snapshot archived on the inclusion date. Check current vendor guidance before acting.
What the vulnerability is
CVE-2025-21043 is an out-of-bounds write vulnerability (CWE-787) located in the libimagecodec.quram.so component of Samsung mobile devices. This flaw could allow a remote attacker to execute arbitrary code on the affected device.
Exposure and applicability
This vulnerability is relevant to U.S. healthcare providers, practices, and business associates that deploy Samsung mobile devices for clinical use. Because these devices are frequently used by clinicians to access electronic Protected Health Information (ePHI), manage patient care, or communicate via secure messaging, a remote code execution flaw presents a risk to the confidentiality and integrity of health data. The vulnerability’s presence in an image codec suggests that processing a specially crafted image file could be a potential trigger for the exploit.
Remediation priorities
Our analysis suggests the following prioritized actions for healthcare security leaders and clinical engineering teams:
- Inventory and Identification: Identify all Samsung mobile devices currently in use across the clinical environment, including those used as primary workstations or secondary communication tools. This is a prerequisite for applying targeted updates.
- Vendor Patch Deployment: Apply the security updates provided by Samsung according to their official instructions. Prioritizing devices that have direct access to ePHI repositories or patient management systems could reduce the immediate risk surface.
- Endpoint Policy Review: Evaluate mobile device management (MDM) policies to ensure that only authorized applications are permitted and that devices are configured to receive automatic security updates where feasible.
How to validate remediation
To verify that exposure has been reduced, organizations should use their MDM or asset management tools to confirm that the specific firmware versions containing the fix for CVE-2025-21043 have been successfully installed across the fleet. A version check is a necessary step in confirming the update was applied, though it does not guarantee total immunity from other undiscovered flaws.
Limits and open questions
It remains unknown whether this vulnerability has been utilized in active ransomware campaigns. Additionally, while CISA has established a remediation deadline of October 23, 2025, for federal agencies, this date is not a legal requirement for private healthcare entities, though it serves as a benchmark for urgency. Organizations should verify specific model and version compatibility via Samsung’s documentation, as the source does not list every affected device model.
Source and editorial note
CVE-2025-21043: Samsung Mobile Devices Out-of-Bounds Write Vulnerability · Source date: October 02, 2025 · Retrieved August 31, 2026.
Material facts are tied to the cited primary source. Recommendations are independent defensive analysis unless attributed to the source. Confirm consequential decisions against current authoritative guidance.
Archive date: October 05, 2025. The displayed post date is assigned three days after the source date to organize this retrospective archive; it does not mean this site published the analysis then. First published by this site: September 28, 2026 at 01:01 UTC.
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