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Bluetooth Core SpecificationApplication · Bluetooth

CVE-2022-25837

HIGH · 7.5 CVSS v3.1 Published 2022-12-12
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to after 5.3 or later.
See remediation →
78/100
Remediation priority · High
No privileges

Official description Straight from the sourceThe vendor's or NVD's own wording, published unedited. Authoritative, but often terse — it says what broke, rarely what to do.

NVD · unedited
Bluetooth® Pairing in Bluetooth Core Specification v1.0B through v5.3 may permit an unauthenticated MITM to acquire credentials with two pairing devices via adjacent access when at least one device supports BR/EDR Secure Connections pairing and the other BR/EDR Legacy PIN code pairing if the MITM negotiates BR/EDR Secure Simple Pairing in Secure Connections mode using the Passkey association model with the pairing Initiator and BR/EDR Legacy PIN code pairing with the pairing Responder and brute forces the Passkey entered by the user into the Responder as a 6-digit PIN code. The MITM attacker can use the identified PIN code value as the Passkey value to complete authentication with the Initiator via Bluetooth pairing method confusion.

Technical summary Written by usOur analysis, written from the advisory, the CVSS vector and the affected-version data. It adds context the advisory leaves out, and never invents facts that are not in the source.

dbcve analysis · high confidence

A Bluetooth MITM vulnerability in Core Specification v1.0B-5.3 where an unauthenticated attacker exploits the difference between BR/EDR Secure Connections and Legacy PIN code pairing modes by acting as a proxy between two devices, brute-forcing the 6-digit passkey entered on the Responder device, then using that PIN to authenticate with the Initiator device through pairing method confusion.

MitigationEnsure both pairing devices support and exclusively use BR/EDR Secure Connections mode; disable or avoid Legacy PIN code pairing; verify devices have latest firmware updates from manufacturers.

Verify against the referenced sources before acting — the references below are authoritative for this CVE, this summary is not.

Affected products & versions What the vendor confirmedThe version ranges the vendor confirmed as vulnerable. If your version sits inside a range here, treat yourself as exposed until you have upgraded.

NVD · CPE data
Bluetooth Core SpecificationApplication
Affected:>= 1.1b, <= 5.3

CVSS breakdown How the score is builtThe industry scoring standard. It rates how the flaw is reached, what it takes to exploit, and what an attacker gains — the score is derived from those, not the other way round.

From the vector
Attack vector
Adjacent
Complexity
High
Privileges
None
User interaction
Required
Scope
Changed
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
None

CVSS:3.1/AV:A/AC:H/PR:N/UI:R/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:N

Am I affected? How to checkSteps we derive from the advisory and the affected-version data, so you can decide whether this CVE reaches your setup. They are a guide, not a scan — your own configuration is the authority.

dbcve checks

Work through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.

  1. Identify your Bluetooth stack version
    Query your operating system's Bluetooth subsystem or library for its implementation version (e.g., BlueZ version on Linux, Windows Bluetooth stack version, or chip firmware version). Compare it against the affected range: Core Specification >= 1.1b and <= 5.3.
    Affected if The implemented Bluetooth Core Specification version falls within 1.1b to 5.3 inclusive.
  2. Confirm BR/EDR (Classic Bluetooth) is enabled
    Check if your device has Classic Bluetooth (BR/EDR) radio functionality active, not just BLE (Bluetooth Low Energy). This is typically visible in system Bluetooth settings or via hciconfig (Linux) or similar system utilities.
    Affected if BR/EDR mode is enabled and actively used for pairing with other devices.
  3. Verify Legacy PIN pairing support
    Inspect your Bluetooth stack configuration or pairing settings to determine if Legacy PIN code pairing (1-16 character PIN) is available as a pairing method. On Linux, this can be checked via BlueZ configuration files or btmgmt tool output.
    Affected if Legacy PIN code pairing is supported or enabled alongside Secure Connections mode.
  4. Check pairing mode configuration
    Review the pairing authentication settings on your device. Look for whether the device allows fallback to legacy pairing methods or requires Secure Connections only. Check if 'Secure Connections' is mandated or if 'Legacy Pairing' options exist.
    Affected if The device supports or permits Legacy PIN pairing rather than enforcing Secure Connections-only mode.

Your environment is affected if your Bluetooth implementation uses a Core Specification version between 1.1b and 5.3, has BR/EDR enabled, and supports or falls back to Legacy PIN code pairing instead of requiring Secure Connections exclusively.

Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.

Check your environment

Paste your version and any relevant configuration and it will be compared against the affected criteria above. Do not include secrets or credentials.

AI-assisted, checked against the advisory. Informational, not a guarantee.

Remediation Closing itWhat it takes to close this. Where a vendor fix exists we point at it; where none exists we say so plainly, and can build one. Effort estimates are scoped from the advisory, not from your codebase.

From vendor data
Upgrade available Upgrade to a release after 5.3
Interim mitigation

Ensure both pairing devices support and exclusively use BR/EDR Secure Connections mode; disable or avoid Legacy PIN code pairing; verify devices have latest firmware updates from manufacturers.

Fix this in Bluetooth Core Specification Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation8.0 h
  • Testing6.0 h
  • Review / QA4.0 h
18.0 hours of engineering $3,220
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References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.

Primary sources

Practitioner notes

Contributed

Peer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2022-25837 in production — separate from our analysis above.

No notes yet

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What this is

A place for practitioners to share what actually worked: a mitigation you’ve tested, a configuration change, a version- or environment-specific caveat, or a link to a verified patch. The most useful notes rise to the top as peers upvote them, so the signal stays high.

What belongs here
  • Verified mitigations, workarounds, and config changes
  • Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
  • No weaponised exploit code, or anything meant to cause harm
  • No spam, self-promotion, credentials, or personal data