Listen to this Post
This vulnerability is a local privilege escalation flaw within the Android System component. It stems from improper input validation in multiple code locations that handle forwarded intents. The core issue allows a malicious application, already running with low privileges on the device, to bypass the enforced boundary between user profiles.
An Android intent is a messaging object used to request an action from another app component. The vulnerability exists when such intents are forwarded between components. Due to insufficient validation checks, a specially crafted intent can be manipulated to carry embedded instructions or data that are not properly sanitized upon receipt.
When the target component processes this malicious intent, the flawed validation logic fails to correctly verify the sender’s identity and the intended destination profile. This allows the intent to execute actions or access data within a user profile different from the one the attacking app is confined to, such as a work profile or a secondary user profile.
The attack complexity is low, requiring no user interaction for exploitation. An attacker only needs a foothold on the device with low-privilege access, which could be achieved through a downloaded malicious application. By exploiting this flaw, the attacker’s app can escalate its privileges locally, potentially gaining unauthorized access to sensitive data or functionality reserved for other profiles on the same device.
DailyCVE Form
Platform: Android
Version: 13, 14, 15, 16
Vulnerability: Privilege Escalation
Severity: High
date: December 2025
Prediction: 2025-12-05
What Undercode Say:
Search AOSP for patches referencing the associated bug ID
grep -r "A-397216638" ./
Check for commits in the IntentResolver module
git log --oneline --grep="IntentResolver" --since="2025-11-01"
Locate changes in frameworks/base related to intent forwarding
find . -type f -name ".java" -exec grep -l "forwardIntent|ForwardedIntent" {} \;
// Example pseudocode of a vulnerable intent receipt handler
public void onReceiveIntent(Intent forwardedIntent) {
// CWE-20: Missing validation of the forwarded intent's source and embedded extras
String targetProfile = forwardedIntent.getStringExtra("target_profile");
Intent embeddedAction = forwardedIntent.getParcelableExtra("action");
// Processing embeddedAction without validating it is allowed for targetProfile
startActivityAsUser(embeddedAction, UserHandle.of(targetProfile));
}
How Exploit:
An attacker with a low-privilege app constructs a malicious intent containing an embedded action. They forward this intent to a vulnerable system component. The component, due to improper validation, extracts and executes the embedded action in the context of a different, targeted user profile. This bypasses the Android sandbox, allowing the attacker to read data from or perform actions within the victim profile.
Protection from this CVE:
Apply the Android security update with a patch level of 2025-12-05 or later. The fixes were committed to the AOSP repositories for the frameworks/base and packages/modules/IntentResolver modules. Enable Google Play Protect to warn about harmful apps. Restrict installation of apps from unknown sources.
Impact:
Successful exploitation leads to a local escalation of privilege. This compromises the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of data within the targeted user profile. An attacker could access private emails, messages, or files from a work profile, or install other malware with higher privileges.
🎯Let’s Practice Exploiting & Learn Patching For Free:
Sources:
Reported By: nvd.nist.gov
Extra Source Hub:
Undercode
