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How a Bluetooth Flaw Could Hand Over Control of Your Phone Without You Ever Knowing
MediaTek, one of the world’s leading semiconductor companies, has just issued a stark warning: seven new security vulnerabilities have been discovered in a wide range of its chipsets. These chips power millions of smartphones, tablets, AIoT devices, smart TVs, and even audio systems. Published in the June 2, 2025 Product Security Bulletin, the report reveals troubling flaws—most critically, a Bluetooth vulnerability that allows attackers to take over devices without any interaction from the user.
The most severe flaw, tracked as CVE-2025-20672, is a heap overflow in MediaTek’s Bluetooth driver. This allows hackers to escalate privileges and gain deeper system control just through Bluetooth access, no clicks or taps required. Other flaws include null pointer dereference issues and improper authorization checks that could lead to denial-of-service (DoS) attacks, crashes, or even remote access. With over 80 chipsets affected, including the MT7902, MT7921, and MT7927 series, the scale of this exposure is alarming.
These flaws affect various product categories, from mobile phones to smart displays and OTT streaming devices. MediaTek confirms that device makers have been notified at least two months ago, suggesting that patches are either rolling out or already available. However, not all consumers may receive timely updates, especially those using budget devices or older models.
🔎 A Closer Look at
MediaTek’s security bulletin outlines seven different vulnerabilities that range from medium to high severity, affecting a vast ecosystem of connected devices. The flagship vulnerability, CVE-2025-20672, is particularly dangerous due to its “zero-click” nature. It stems from a heap overflow issue caused by improper bounds checking in the Bluetooth driver. Once a hacker gains minimal access to the device, they could leverage this flaw to elevate their privileges and gain near-total control.
The exploit requires only user-level permissions to initiate and can be executed without the user doing anything—no need to click links or open files. This level of stealth is typically seen in more advanced cyberattacks, making it especially concerning for both consumers and enterprises alike.
In addition, five medium-severity vulnerabilities—CVE-2025-20673 to CVE-2025-20677—mainly affect wireless components like WLAN and Bluetooth drivers. These involve null pointer dereference errors, which can crash the system or create DoS conditions. Although they require user execution privileges, they also do not require user interaction, which lowers the barrier for exploitation.
Another notable flaw, CVE-2025-20674, targets the WLAN AP driver. Due to missing authorization checks, attackers can inject arbitrary network packets. This could allow for remote code execution or elevation of privileges without the need for additional execution rights.
Most alarming is CVE-2025-20678, which impacts over 80 MediaTek chipsets. This vulnerability involves uncontrolled recursion in the IMS service, exposing users to remote denial-of-service attacks through manipulated base stations. A rogue signal tower can send recursive requests that overload the modem, causing the device to freeze or shut down.
These flaws don’t just impact smartphones—they stretch across smart displays, AIoT devices, audio equipment, and TVs. This reveals a broader industry issue: the reuse of vulnerable codebases across multiple device types. The vulnerabilities in wireless drivers and modem software suggest systemic issues in MediaTek’s development cycle.
Fortunately, MediaTek appears to have acted responsibly. It gave manufacturers a two-month window to deploy patches before publicly disclosing the flaws. However, the real-world effectiveness of this process depends on whether vendors actually deliver timely updates—and whether end users install them.
🧠 What Undercode Say:
This wave of MediaTek vulnerabilities exposes deep-rooted flaws in how modern device ecosystems are built and maintained. The use of a common codebase across various product lines and industries creates a dangerous ripple effect. One flaw in a Bluetooth driver, for instance, doesn’t just compromise smartphones. It could breach smart TVs, tablets, or even AIoT devices connected in your home or office.
The most critical vulnerability, CVE-2025-20672, is a textbook example of how small coding oversights—like incorrect bounds checking—can have large-scale repercussions. A heap overflow in a Bluetooth driver may sound technical, but the implication is terrifying: an attacker could exploit your phone without you ever touching it. This raises significant concerns for national security, enterprise infrastructure, and even consumer privacy.
The situation is made worse by the silent nature of these exploits. Because no user interaction is needed, traditional cybersecurity advice like “don’t click suspicious links” becomes irrelevant. It highlights the growing sophistication of attack vectors and the need for firmware-level defenses and real-time system monitoring.
MediaTek’s transparency in disclosing these vulnerabilities and working with device vendors to patch them is commendable. However, many users—especially those on low-cost Android devices—may never receive those updates. Manufacturers often drop support for devices just two or three years after release, leaving them vulnerable for the remainder of their lifecycle.
The other medium-severity vulnerabilities are equally concerning from a stability standpoint. System crashes and denial of service attacks may not compromise data directly, but they can disrupt communications, cause reputational damage, and open the door for deeper exploits. For example, crashing the system repeatedly can help an attacker map out the internal structure of device memory for more refined attacks.
This disclosure should also serve as a wake-up call to regulators and device manufacturers. Security must be embedded at the hardware and firmware level, not just bolted on later. The connected ecosystem is only as strong as its weakest chip, and in this case, MediaTek’s wireless drivers have become a glaring weak point.
As the number of smart devices in homes and businesses continues to rise, these kinds of vulnerabilities will become increasingly common and increasingly dangerous. Manufacturers must adopt stricter quality assurance processes, conduct regular security audits, and ensure faster delivery of firmware updates to mitigate future threats.
✅ Fact Checker Results:
✔️ MediaTek officially published this disclosure on June 2, 2025.
✔️ Vulnerabilities confirmed by external security researchers and tracked via CVEs.
✔️ Chipsets affected span over 80 models across smartphones, AIoT, and multimedia devices. 🔍
🔮 Prediction:
Expect increased scrutiny of MediaTek firmware in the coming months, particularly in enterprise and government settings. Security researchers will likely intensify reverse engineering of wireless drivers, potentially uncovering more vulnerabilities. Regulatory bodies may also push for stricter security compliance across chipmakers, and consumers could begin demanding longer-term firmware support from device manufacturers.
References:
Reported By: cyberpress.org
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