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How CVE-2025-5154 Works
This vulnerability affects PhonePe App 25.03.21.0 on Android, where sensitive data is stored in cleartext within an SQLite database (/data/data/com.phonepe.app/databases/). Attackers with local access can read unprotected files, exposing user data like transaction details or authentication tokens. The flaw stems from missing encryption in SQLite database storage, allowing unauthorized extraction via file explorers or ADB commands.
DailyCVE Form:
Platform: Android
Version: 25.03.21.0
Vulnerability: Cleartext storage
Severity: Medium
Date: 06/03/2025
Prediction: Patch by 07/15/2025
What Undercode Say:
Analytics:
- Exploitability: Low (requires physical/local access)
- Attack Surface: Limited to compromised devices
- Data Impact: Financial/PII exposure
Exploitation Commands:
adb shell "run-as com.phonepe.app cat /data/data/com.phonepe.app/databases/.db"
sqlite3 vulnerable.db "SELECT FROM payments;"
Protection Commands:
// Enable SQLCipher for encryption SQLiteDatabase db = SQLiteDatabase.openOrCreateDatabase( "secure.db", "password123".toCharArray(), null );
<!-- Force encryption in AndroidManifest.xml --> <application android:usesCleartextTraffic="false">
Detection Code (Python):
import os def check_cleartext(db_path): if os.path.exists(db_path): with open(db_path, 'rb') as f: header = f.read(16) return b'SQLite' in header and not b'ENCRYPTED' in header return False
Mitigation Steps:
1. Patch SQLite with AES-256 encryption.
2. Restrict file permissions (`chmod 600`).
3. Use Android’s EncryptedFile API.
References:
Sources:
Reported By: nvd.nist.gov
Extra Source Hub:
Undercode
