Cybersecurity Vulnerabilities

CVE-2025-66542: Decoding a “Not Used” Cybersecurity Entry

Overview

CVE-2025-66542 is a unique case in the world of Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures (CVEs). Unlike typical CVEs that identify specific security flaws in software or hardware, CVE-2025-66542 is explicitly marked as “Rejected reason: Not used”. This means that the CVE ID was initially assigned but was subsequently determined to be invalid, irrelevant, or otherwise not applicable to a real-world vulnerability. This article will delve into the implications of a “Not used” CVE and explain why it doesn’t warrant any immediate action.

Technical Details

According to the official CVE entry, CVE-2025-66542 was published on 2025-12-05T04:16:00.993 and its description states “Rejected reason: Not used.” This rejection indicates that the initial assessment or information regarding a potential vulnerability was found to be inaccurate or misleading. It’s important to understand that the rejection can occur for various reasons, including:

  • The reported issue was not a security vulnerability.
  • The reported issue was a duplicate of an existing CVE.
  • The reported issue was not reproducible or verifiable.
  • The reporter withdrew the claim.

Because the CVE is explicitly marked as “Not used,” no further technical analysis or investigation is necessary.

CVSS Analysis

Since CVE-2025-66542 is a rejected entry, it has no associated CVSS (Common Vulnerability Scoring System) score. The severity is listed as “N/A”, reflecting the fact that there’s no vulnerability to assess.

Possible Impact

Given that CVE-2025-66542 is marked as “Not used,” there is no potential impact. It does not represent a security risk to any system or application.

Mitigation or Patch Steps

No mitigation or patching is required for CVE-2025-66542. Since the CVE has been rejected, it does not represent a vulnerability that needs to be addressed.

References

Cybersecurity specialist and founder of Gowri Shankar Infosec - a professional blog dedicated to sharing actionable insights on cybersecurity, data protection, server administration, and compliance frameworks including SOC 2, PCI DSS, and GDPR.

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