Overview
The vulnerability CVE-2025-5098 has been identified in the PrinterShare Android application. This critical vulnerability allows a potential attacker to capture Gmail authentication tokens, which can then be reused to gain unauthorized access to a user’s Gmail account. This issue is particularly concerning because of the vast user base of the PrinterShare app and the potential access to sensitive data stored in Gmail accounts. The unauthorized access to a user’s Gmail account could lead to the extraction of personal and confidential information, thereby causing significant harm to users.
Vulnerability Summary
CVE ID: CVE-2025-5098
Severity: Critical (9.1 CVSS Score)
Attack Vector: Network
Privileges Required: None
User Interaction: Required
Impact: System compromise and data leakage
Affected Products
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Product | Affected Versions
PrinterShare Android App | All versions prior to patch
How the Exploit Works
An attacker exploiting this vulnerability would typically require a user to use the PrinterShare app while on the same network. The attacker can then use a network sniffing tool to capture packets being sent from the user’s device. Due to the lack of proper encryption in the PrinterShare app, the attacker can then extract the Gmail authentication tokens from these packets. Once the attacker has these tokens, they can use them to access the user’s Gmail account without needing the password.
Conceptual Example Code
Below is a conceptual example of how an attacker might capture packets on a network. Note that this is a simplified example and actual attack techniques may involve more complex methods and tools.
# Example shell command using tcpdump to capture network traffic
tcpdump -i eth0 -s 0 -v -w capture.pcapIn this example, the attacker is using the tcpdump tool to capture all network traffic on the ethernet interface (eth0). The captured packets are then saved to a file (capture.pcap) for further analysis and extraction of Gmail authentication tokens.
Mitigation Guidance
To mitigate this vulnerability, users are strongly advised to apply the vendor’s patch. If the patch cannot be applied immediately, using a Web Application Firewall (WAF) or Intrusion Detection System (IDS) can provide temporary mitigation. These systems can detect and block the unauthorized capture of Gmail authentication tokens, providing a layer of protection until the patch can be applied.