CVE-2025-34251
CVE-2025-34251 is a high-severity vulnerability with a CVSS 4.0 base score of 8.6. It is not currently listed as actively exploited by CISA, and its EPSS exploit-prediction score is low. The underlying weakness is classified as CWE-269.
Key facts
- Severity: High (CVSS 4.0 base score 8.6)
- EPSS exploit prediction: 1% (42nd percentile)
- Actively exploited: Not listed in CISA KEV
- EU (EUVD) id: EUVD-2025-32120
- Weakness: CWE-269
- Published:
- Last modified:
Description
Tesla Telematics Control Unit (TCU) firmware prior to v2025.14 contains an authentication bypass vulnerability. The TCU runs the Android Debug Bridge (adbd) as root and, despite a “lockdown” check that disables adb shell, still permits adb push/pull and adb forward. Because adbd is privileged and the device’s USB port is exposed externally, an attacker with physical access can write an arbitrary file to a writable location and then overwrite the kernel’s uevent_helper or /proc/sys/kernel/hotplug entries via ADB, causing the script to be executed with root privileges.
Frequently asked questions
- What is CVE-2025-34251?
- Tesla Telematics Control Unit (TCU) firmware prior to v2025.14 contains an authentication bypass vulnerability. The TCU runs the Android Debug Bridge (adbd) as root and, despite a “lockdown” check that disables adb shell, still permits adb push/pull and adb forward. Because adbd is privileged and the device’s USB port is exposed externally, an attacker with physical access can write an arbitrary file to a writable location and then overwrite the kernel’s uevent_helper or /proc/sys/kernel/hotplug entries via ADB, causing the script to be executed with root privileges.
- How severe is CVE-2025-34251?
- CVE-2025-34251 has a CVSS 4.0 base score of 8.6, rated high severity.
- Is CVE-2025-34251 being actively exploited?
- It is not currently listed in CISA's KEV catalog. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score is 1% (42nd percentile), an estimate of the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.
- How do I fix CVE-2025-34251?
- Review the linked vendor and NVD advisories for patched versions and mitigations, then upgrade or apply the recommended workaround. Given its high severity, prioritise patching exposed systems.
- Does CVE-2025-34251 have an EU (EUVD) identifier?
- Yes. CVE-2025-34251 is tracked in the ENISA EU Vulnerability Database (EUVD) as EUVD-2025-32120.
- When was CVE-2025-34251 published?
- CVE-2025-34251 was published on 2025-10-07 and last updated on 2026-06-17.
References
- https://www.nccgroup.com/research-blog/technical-advisory-tesla-telematics-control-unit-adb-auth-bypass/
- https://www.tesla.com/
- https://www.vulncheck.com/advisories/tesla-tcu-auth-bypass
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