Chrome OsOperating system · Google
CVE-2025-6044
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 · uneditedAn Improper Access Control vulnerability in the Stylus Tools component of Google ChromeOS version 16238.64.0 on the garaged stylus devices allows a physical attacker to bypass the lock screen and access user files by removing the stylus while the device is closed and using the screen capture feature.
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 · moderate confidenceThis improper access control vulnerability in the Stylus Tools component of ChromeOS allows a physical attacker to bypass the lock screen by removing the stylus while the device is closed and leveraging the screen capture feature to access user files. The attack requires physical access and the presence of a garaged stylus device.
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
= 16238.64.0CVSS 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
- None
CVSS:3.1/AV:P/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/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 checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Check ChromeOS versionGo to Settings > About ChromeOS > Version details, or run `chromeos-version` in crosh shell, to determine the installed build numberAffected if Installed version equals exactly 16238.64.0
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Identify if device has garaged stylusInspect the device chassis for a garaged/stored stylus slot, or check system hardware info for stylus presence via `stylus` or `garaged_stylus` in ChromeOS device diagnosticsAffected if Device has a garaged stylus physically present or configured in hardware
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Verify stylus screen capture configurationCheck ChromeOS settings under Accessibility or Stylus Tools for any stylus-triggered screen capture functionality that may be accessible without lock screen authenticationAffected if Stylus screen capture feature exists and is enabled without requiring lock screen authentication first
User is affected if their ChromeOS version is exactly 16238.64.0 AND the device has a garaged stylus with screen capture capability accessible without lock screen authentication.
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.
From vendor dataUpdate ChromeOS to a version that enforces lock screen authentication before allowing stylus-triggered screen capture functionality, or disable stylus screen capture access when the device is in a closed/locked state.
Fix this in Chrome Os
Scoped from the published advisory
- Consultation6.0 h
- Implementation12.0 h
- Testing6.0 h
- Review / QA3.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $7,680.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2025-6044 — 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-2025-6044 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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- 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
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