Listen to this Post
The vulnerability CVE-2025-48589 is a local privilege escalation flaw within the Android operating system’s framework layer, specifically in the `HeaderPrivacyIconsController.kt` component. It stems from a critical logic error in multiple functions responsible for managing permission states across different user profiles on the same device. The flawed code incorrectly handles permission grants, failing to properly isolate and validate user contexts. This allows a malicious application, operating with standard user privileges and requiring no user interaction, to manipulate the system into granting it permissions intended for another user profile. By exploiting this erroneous logic, an attacker can bypass Android’s built-in sandboxing and permission enforcement mechanisms. The exploit works locally, meaning the attacker must have some form of initial access, such as a downloaded app, but no additional special execution privileges are needed to trigger the escalation. The core failure is a missing or incorrect conditional check when the system updates or reads the state of privacy-related icons and their associated permissions. This creates a race condition or state confusion where permissions from a high-privilege user context (like the device owner) are applied to a low-privilege context (like a secondary user or a malicious app). Consequently, the attacker gains elevated access to sensitive data or device functions that should be prohibited, compromising the security boundary between users on a multi-user Android device.
Platform: Android
Version: Not Specified
Vulnerability: Logic Error
Severity: Critical
date: 2025-12-08
Prediction: 2026-01-19
What Undercode Say:
Analytics:
`adb shell dumpsys package [bash] | grep userId`
`grep -r “HeaderPrivacyIconsController” frameworks/base/`
`logcat | grep -i “privacy\|permission”`
How Exploit:
Local privilege escalation via flawed cross-user permission logic.
Protection from this CVE:
Apply Android security updates. Restrict installation of untrusted apps.
Impact:
Unauthorized local privilege escalation across user profiles.
🎯Let’s Practice Exploiting & Learn Patching For Free:
Sources:
Reported By: nvd.nist.gov
Extra Source Hub:
Undercode
