Overview
Recently, a critical vulnerability has been found in the Tuya Smart Life App version 5.6.1. This vulnerability, registered as CVE-2025-56557, can potentially allow attackers to gain unprivileged control over Matter devices using the Matter protocol. As a significant number of smart home devices utilize Tuya’s platform for IoT solutions, the impact of this vulnerability is widespread, affecting both individual users and businesses alike. Given the severity of this vulnerability, it is crucial for users and administrators to understand its implications and take appropriate actions to mitigate its potential damage.
Vulnerability Summary
CVE ID: CVE-2025-56557
Severity: Critical (CVSS 9.1)
Attack Vector: Network
Privileges Required: None
User Interaction: None
Impact: System compromise and potential data leakage
Affected Products
Escape the Surveillance Era
Most apps won’t tell you the truth.
They’re part of the problem.
Phone numbers. Emails. Profiles. Logs.
It’s all fuel for surveillance.
Ameeba Chat gives you a way out.
- • No phone number
- • No email
- • No personal info
- • Anonymous aliases
- • End-to-end encrypted
Chat without a trace.
Product | Affected Versions
Tuya Smart Life App | 5.6.1
How the Exploit Works
The vulnerability lies within the Matter protocol implementation in the Tuya Smart Life App, specifically in how it handles communication requests. An attacker can exploit this vulnerability by sending specially crafted packets to the vulnerable device, which then interprets these packets as legitimate commands. As a result, the attacker can gain unprivileged control over the device, leading to potential system compromise or even data leakage.
Conceptual Example Code
Below is a conceptual example of how an attacker might exploit this vulnerability:
POST /matter/protocol HTTP/1.1
Host: vulnerable.device.com
Content-Type: application/json
{
"command": "unprivileged_control",
"parameters": {
"device_id": "targetDevice",
"action": "maliciousAction"
}
}In this example, the attacker sends a POST request to the vulnerable device with a malicious command. The device, failing to properly authenticate or validate the command, executes it, providing the attacker with unprivileged control.
Recommended Mitigation Strategies
The most effective way to safeguard against this vulnerability is by applying the vendor-provided patch. In the event that immediate patching is not possible, a temporary mitigation method would be to use a Web Application Firewall (WAF) or an Intrusion Detection System (IDS) to monitor and identify potential exploitation attempts. This, however, is not a permanent solution and patching should be implemented as soon as feasible.
