CVE-2025-53696 Security feature bypass in iSTAR Ultra
Attackers can inject malicious code into unverified firmware sections of iSTAR Ultra devices, bypassing boot-time integrity checks to execute arbitrary code.
- Exploited in the wild
- Not known
- Login needed
- An administrator
- Attackable
- Local or same network only
- Victim action needed
- Not needed
- Fix
- None listed
What is CVE-2025-53696?
CVE-2025-53696 is a critical vulnerability in Johnson Controls, Inc iSTAR Ultra, published on 28 Jul 2025. It can only be exploited from the same machine or local network, with no action from the victim.
Official description
iSTAR Ultra performs a firmware verification on boot, however the verification does not inspect certain portions of the firmware. These firmware parts may contain malicious code. Tested up to firmware 6.9.2, later firmwares are also possibly affected.
Weakness: CWE-494
Which versions are affected by CVE-2025-53696?
How do I fix CVE-2025-53696?
No fix has been published for CVE-2025-53696 yet. Limit exposure of the affected software until one is available.
Is CVE-2025-53696 being exploited?
There is no known exploitation of CVE-2025-53696 in the wild and no public exploit code.
Sources
Also known as GHSA-hrv9-xx4c-jm2g.