Published: 2025-11-21T22:16:32.560
Overview
CVE-2025-65092 is a security vulnerability affecting the ESP32-P4 microcontroller when using its hardware JPEG decoder within Espressif’s IoT Development Framework (ESP-IDF). Specifically, versions 5.5.1, 5.4.3, and 5.3.4 lack proper validation checks in the software parser associated with the hardware JPEG decoder. This can be exploited by providing a specially crafted malicious JPEG image, leading to an out-of-bounds array access.
Technical Details
The vulnerability resides within the JPEG decoding routine used by the ESP32-P4’s hardware accelerator. The software parser, responsible for interpreting the JPEG image data, fails to adequately validate input parameters. An attacker can craft a malicious JPEG image that, when processed by the decoder, causes the parser to attempt to access memory locations outside the intended bounds of an array. This out-of-bounds access can lead to various consequences, including denial-of-service (DoS), code execution, or information disclosure.
CVSS Analysis
CVSS Score: N/A (Score not yet available at the time of this publication)
Severity: N/A (Severity rating not yet available at the time of this publication)
Note: Awaiting CVSS score and severity rating. We will update this section as soon as the information becomes available. The lack of proper input validation suggests a potentially high-severity vulnerability depending on the exploitability and impact.
Possible Impact
The exploitation of CVE-2025-65092 could have significant implications for IoT devices utilizing the ESP32-P4 and vulnerable versions of ESP-IDF:
- Denial of Service (DoS): A malicious JPEG image could crash the device, rendering it unusable.
- Code Execution: In a more severe scenario, successful exploitation could allow an attacker to execute arbitrary code on the device, potentially gaining complete control.
- Information Disclosure: The vulnerability could potentially expose sensitive information stored in the device’s memory.
Mitigation and Patch Steps
Espressif has addressed this vulnerability in ESP-IDF versions 5.5.2, 5.4.4, and 5.3.5. Although these versions were not officially released at the time of this advisory, the fixes have been committed to the development repository. Users are strongly advised to take the following steps:
- Update to the latest ESP-IDF version: Upgrade to versions 5.5.2, 5.4.4, or 5.3.5 as soon as they are released.
- Apply the relevant commits: If an immediate update is not possible, cherry-pick the following commits into your existing codebase:
- Sanitize JPEG inputs (Temporary Mitigation): As a temporary measure, implement input validation and sanitization routines for any JPEG images processed by the ESP32-P4. This should include checks for image dimensions, file size, and other relevant parameters to prevent malicious images from being processed. This is not a substitute for applying the official patch, however.
