Chrome OsOperating system · Google
CVE-2025-1121
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 · uneditedPrivilege escalation in Installer and Recovery image handling in Google ChromeOS version 15786.48.2 on device allows an attacker with physical access to gain root code execution and potentially unenroll enterprise-managed devices via a specially crafted recovery image.
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 confidenceA privilege escalation vulnerability exists in the Installer and Recovery image handling of ChromeOS version 15786.48.2. An attacker with physical access to the device can use a specially crafted recovery image to execute arbitrary code with root privileges, potentially enabling enterprise device unenrollment.
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
Chrome OsOperating system
= 15786.48.0CVSS 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
- Physical
- Complexity
- Low
- Privileges
- None
- User interaction
- None
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- High
- Integrity
- High
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.1/AV:P/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
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 checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Check ChromeOS versionNavigate to chrome://version or go to Settings > About ChromeOS to view the installed version numberAffected if The installed version is exactly 15786.48.0
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Determine recovery mode accessibilityVerify if the device supports recovery mode entry. On most ChromeOS devices, recovery mode is entered by pressing Esc + Refresh + Power simultaneously, or using a dedicated recovery buttonAffected if Recovery mode can be physically accessed on a device running the affected version
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Confirm device management statusCheck if the device is enterprise-managed by navigating to chrome://policy or looking for management indicators in Settings > About ChromeOSAffected if The device is enterprise-enrolled and running the vulnerable ChromeOS version, making it a potential target for forced unenrollment
The device is affected if it runs ChromeOS version 15786.48.0 and an attacker can physically access the recovery mode functionality.
Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.
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.
dbcve · scopedUpdate ChromeOS to the latest patched version once released. Until then, enforce strict physical security controls on managed devices and restrict recovery mode access to prevent unauthorized recovery image injection.
Chrome OS version 15786.48.2 or later
- 1. Ensure the Chrome OS device is connected to the internet
- 2. Go to Settings > About Chrome OS > Check for updates
- 3. Allow the system to download and install any available updates
- 4. Restart the device after the update completes to apply all security patches
- 5. Verify the Chrome OS version has been updated to 15786.48.2 or later by checking Settings > About Chrome OS
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
Fix this in Chrome Os
Scoped from the published advisory
- Consultation4.0 h
- Implementation16.0 h
- Testing8.0 h
- Review / QA4.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $8,960.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2025-1121 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.
References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.
Primary sourcesPractitioner notes
ContributedPeer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2025-1121 in production — separate from our analysis above.
The advisory tells you what broke. It rarely tells you what actually worked. If you’ve dealt with this one, that detail is what the next engineer is searching for.
- The version that genuinely resolved it — not the one the vendor claimed
- A config change or rule that shut the vector down
- A gotcha in the upgrade path that cost you an afternoon
No notes yet
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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.
- 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