Attack ChainAIDerived
Hypothetical attack flow derived from CVE metadata – not a confirmed exploit chain
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AccessGain local system access
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DeliveryOpen TEE device node
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ExploitSubmit TEEC_InvokeCommand with invalid or zero session ID
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Executionfind_session() returns NULL
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PersistSecure-world NULL dereference fault
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ImpactTEE crash (denial of service)
Vulnerability Assessment
| Weakness |
CWE
OWASP Top 10:2025
A10:2025 - Mishandling of Exceptional Conditions
ASVS 5.0
V16 - Security Logging and Error Handling Null pointer safety, defensive checks
MITRE ATT&CK
1 technique across 1 tactic: Impact The technique list with ATT&CK links and the kill-chain view is part of the Basic plan and up. |
| Exploitation Conditions | The attacker must have local access to a system running mTower as its TEE implementation and must be able to reach the TEE ioctl interface - specifically the device node that exposes TEEC_InvokeCommand. The triggering condition is simply supplying an invalid, zero, or stale session ID in a TEEC_InvokeCommand call; no valid pre-existing session is required. Exploitation is bounded by the local attack vector (AV:L) - remote exploitation is not possible. The crash affects only the secure-world TEE process, not the normal-world OS kernel, limiting blast radius to TEE-dependent services. The vendor's PR:N assertion implies the TEE device node may be world-accessible on some configurations, but device node permissions are OS and distribution-specific; defenders should audit device node ACLs as a first step. |
| Impact | The vendor-supplied CVSS 5.5 (AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H) reflects a local denial-of-service with no confidentiality or integrity exposure. Two metric assignments warrant scrutiny: PR:N is questionable because invoking TEE ioctls typically requires at least user-level access to a TEE device node, making PR:L more technically accurate; UI:R is unexplained - the patch comments describe a Non-Secure caller sending a malformed ioctl without any described user interaction requirement, and no rationale for UI:R is evident. No EPSS score is present in available intelligence, no CISA KEV listing exists, and no POC exploit has been identified. Practical impact is limited to crashing the secure world, which could disrupt TEE-backed security services (key storage, secure boot attestation) on affected devices but does not enable code execution or data exfiltration. This is a moderate operational concern for embedded or IoT deployments running mTower, but a low organizational priority given the local-only attack vector, niche product footprint, and complete absence of known exploitation activity. |
| Exploit ScenarioDerived | A local process with access to the TEE device node sends a TEEC_InvokeCommand ioctl carrying an invalid or zeroed session ID. The TEE kernel's find_session() returns NULL, and without the NULL guard, the subsequent dereference of sess->ctx triggers a fault in the secure world, crashing the TEE and denying service to all applications relying on TEE-backed operations. No public exploit code has been identified at time of analysis. |
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Alert meAnalysisAIv1 – Sep 01, 2026
NULL pointer dereference in Samsung mTower's TEE kernel allows a Non-Secure caller to crash the secure world by supplying an invalid, zero, or stale session ID to the ioctl invoke path. The flaw exists in tee_ioctl_invoke() (entry_std.c) and tee_ta_invoke_command() (tee_ta_manager.c), where find_session() returns NULL without a guard before dereferencing sess->ctx, causing a secure-world fault. All mTower versions prior to commit afef59aa6f55c5d5ebf9b14bc020bf1c2c37489a are affected; no public exploit has been identified at time of analysis.
RemediationAI
The upstream fix is available via GitHub pull request #248 (https://github.com/Samsung/mTower/pull/248); operators should update mTower to include commit afef59aa6f55c5d5ebf9b14bc020bf1c2c37489a or any subsequent commit that incorporates it. A formally tagged patched release version has not been independently confirmed from available data - this is an upstream PR/commit fix, not a versioned release. As a compensating control where immediate patching is not feasible, restricting access to the TEE device node (e.g., via udev rules or filesystem permissions) to only trusted, privileged processes reduces the attack surface, though this trade-off may break legitimate TEE client applications that expect broader access. No workaround eliminates the flaw - access control only raises the bar for exploitation.
Affected VersionsENISA
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Technical ContextAI · show details
mTower (CPE: cpe:2.3:a:samsung_open_source:mtower:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*) is Samsung's open-source Trusted Execution Environment (TEE) implementation designed for GlobalPlatform TEE compliance. The vulnerability (CWE-476: NULL Pointer Dereference) spans two files: tee/kernel/entry_std.c in tee_ioctl_invoke(), the Non-Secure ioctl veneer that processes invoke requests from normal-world clients, and tee/kernel/tee_ta_manager.c in tee_ta_invoke_command(). When a Non-Secure caller provides an invalid, zero, or stale session ID, the internal find_session() function returns NULL. Without a NULL guard at either layer, the subsequent dereference of sess->ctx faults inside the secure world, crashing the TEE entirely. The PR #248 diff shows the fix adds an explicit NULL check at the ioctl veneer layer (returning TEEC_ERROR_BAD_PARAMETERS) and a second defense-in-depth guard inside tee_ta_manager.c.
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Severity by source
AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H
Invoking TEE ioctls requires at least user-level device node access (PR:L); no user interaction is described in the patch or attack path, so UI:N is appropriate.
Primary rating from Vendor (samsung.tv_appliance).
CVSS VectorVendor: samsung.tv_appliance
DescriptionCVE.org
NULL pointer dereference vulnerability in Samsung Open Source mTower allows Pointer Manipulation.
This issue affects mTower: before afef59aa6f55c5d5ebf9b14bc020bf1c2c37489a.
Threat Intelligence Overview
How this decision was reached
The engine reads each signal below and applies a fixed list of rules from top to bottom. The first rule that matches sets the recommended action – like a statement, every line is shown.
What every action level means
SSVC AssessmentENISA
Priority Score
Attack Technique
A null pointer dereference occurs when a program attempts to access memory through a pointer that has been set to NULL (address 0x0).
Denial of Service attacks render applications or systems unavailable by overwhelming resources or triggering failure conditions.
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EUVD-2026-69010
GHSA-8m2w-3vrx-mj4w
NVD
CVE.org
EPSS
Vulnrichment
Exploit-DB