CVE-2025-52883
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BaseFortify

Publication date: 2025-06-24

Last updated on: 2025-06-26

Assigner: GitHub, Inc.

Description
Meshtastic-Android is an Android application for the mesh radio software Meshtastic. Prior to version 2.5.21, an attacker is able to send an unencrypted direct message to a victim impersonating any other node of the mesh. This message will be displayed in the same chat that the victim normally communicates with the other node and it will appear as using PKC, while it is not. This means that the victim will be provided with a false sense of security due to the green padlock displayed when using PKC and they'll read the attacker's message as legitimate. Version 2.5.21 contains a patch for the issue. It is suggested to implement a stricter control on whether a message has been received using PKC or using the shared Meshtastic channel key. Moreover, instead of showing no green padlock icon in the chat with no PKC, consider using an explicit indicator like, for example, the yellow half-open padlock displayed when in HAM mode. This remediation, however, applies to the client applications rather than the Meshtastic firmware.
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Meta Information
Published
2025-06-24
Last Modified
2025-06-26
Generated
2026-05-06
AI Q&A
2025-06-24
EPSS Evaluated
2026-05-05
NVD
EUVD
Affected Vendors & Products
Currently, no data is known.
Helpful Resources
Exploitability
CWE
CWE Icon
KEV
KEV Icon
CWE ID Description
CWE-1287 The product receives input that is expected to be of a certain type, but it does not validate or incorrectly validates that the input is actually of the expected type.
Attack-Flow Graph
AI Powered Q&A
Can you explain this vulnerability to me?

CVE-2025-52883 is a vulnerability in Meshtastic-Android versions prior to 2.5.21 where an attacker can send unencrypted forged direct messages impersonating any node in the mesh network. These forged messages appear in the victim's chat as if they were encrypted using Public Key Cryptography (PKC), indicated by a green padlock icon, misleading the victim into believing the communication is secure when it is not. This happens because the application accepts messages sent using the shared Meshtastic channel key but displays them as if they were PKC-encrypted, causing a false sense of security and allowing attackers to inject messages without detection. [1]


How can this vulnerability impact me? :

This vulnerability can impact you by allowing attackers to impersonate other nodes in the mesh network and send forged messages that appear to be securely encrypted. As a result, you may be misled into trusting and acting on false or malicious information, since the forged messages display a green padlock icon indicating PKC encryption when in fact they are not encrypted. This compromises message integrity and can lead to misinformation or manipulation within your communications. [1]


How can this vulnerability be detected on my network or system? Can you suggest some commands?

Detection of this vulnerability involves monitoring for forged direct messages that appear to be encrypted with Public Key Cryptography (PKC) but are actually sent unencrypted using the shared Meshtastic channel key. The Meshtastic-Android client prior to version 2.5.21 does not properly distinguish these messages, causing a false green padlock icon to appear. To detect this, one should look for messages received in PKC chats that are not actually PKC-encrypted. The updated client includes a 'mismatchKey' flag and UI warnings to indicate public key mismatches. While no specific network commands are provided, detection relies on using the patched client version (2.5.21 or later) which implements stricter verification and explicit UI indicators for such mismatches. [1, 2]


What immediate steps should I take to mitigate this vulnerability?

Immediate mitigation steps include upgrading the Meshtastic-Android application to version 2.5.21 or later, which contains the patch addressing this vulnerability. The patch implements stricter verification of whether messages are received via PKC or the shared channel key and introduces explicit UI indicators (such as warnings and a 'mismatchKey' flag) to alert users of public key mismatches. Additionally, consider applying client-side changes to avoid displaying a misleading green padlock icon for messages not encrypted with PKC. These mitigations focus on the client application rather than the firmware. [1, 2]


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