Overview
CVE-2025-61617 is a high-severity vulnerability affecting NR (New Radio) modems. This vulnerability, stemming from improper input validation, can lead to a system crash and result in a remote denial of service (DoS) attack. Exploitation of this vulnerability does not require any additional execution privileges, making it a significant security concern.
Technical Details
The vulnerability lies in the way the NR modem handles specific input data. Due to insufficient validation, a malformed input can trigger a fatal error within the modem’s firmware, causing it to crash and rendering the device unusable. The specific input vector is not publicly disclosed to prevent widespread exploitation before patches can be applied, but the core issue is a lack of robust input sanitization.
Further technical details are available in the vendor’s security advisory (see references below), though specifics are limited to avoid aiding malicious actors.
CVSS Analysis
The Common Vulnerability Scoring System (CVSS) score for CVE-2025-61617 is 7.5 (HIGH). This score reflects the following characteristics:
- Attack Vector: Network (AV:N) – The vulnerability can be exploited remotely over a network.
- Attack Complexity: Low (AC:L) – Exploitation requires minimal effort.
- Privileges Required: None (PR:N) – No privileges are required to exploit the vulnerability.
- User Interaction: None (UI:N) – No user interaction is required to trigger the vulnerability.
- Scope: Unchanged (S:U) – The vulnerability affects the modem only.
- Confidentiality Impact: None (C:N) – There is no impact on confidentiality.
- Integrity Impact: None (I:N) – There is no impact on integrity.
- Availability Impact: High (A:H) – The vulnerability leads to a complete denial of service.
Possible Impact
A successful exploit of CVE-2025-61617 can result in the following:
- Remote Denial of Service (DoS): Affected devices can be rendered unusable, disrupting communication and services.
- Network Disruption: Widespread exploitation could lead to significant network outages.
- Device Instability: Repeated attempts to exploit the vulnerability could lead to permanent damage to the affected modem.
Mitigation and Patch Steps
The primary mitigation step is to apply the official patch released by the modem vendor, Unisoc. Users and device manufacturers are strongly advised to:
- Check for Updates: Regularly check for firmware updates provided by the device manufacturer or Unisoc.
- Apply Patches Immediately: Once a patch is available, apply it as soon as possible to prevent exploitation.
- Network Segmentation: Implement network segmentation to limit the potential impact of a successful attack.
- Monitor Network Traffic: Monitor network traffic for suspicious activity that might indicate an attempted exploit.
Refer to the vendor’s security advisory for detailed patching instructions.
