CVE-2025-22417 is a high-severity local privilege escalation vulnerability affecting Google Android versions 14 and 15. The flaw exists in the finishTransition method of the Transition.java component, where an attacker can bypass touch filtering restrictions through a tapjacking or overlay attack. Tapjacking involves tricking the user into interacting with a hidden or disguised UI element, enabling unauthorized actions. In this case, the vulnerability allows an attacker to escalate privileges locally without requiring additional execution privileges beyond those already granted to the attacker. However, exploitation requires user interaction, meaning the victim must be tricked into tapping or interacting with a malicious overlay. The vulnerability is classified under CWE-1021 (Improper Restriction of Rendered UI Layers or Frames), indicating that the system fails to properly restrict or isolate UI layers, allowing malicious overlays to intercept or manipulate user input. The CVSS v3.1 base score is 7.3, reflecting high severity with the vector AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H, meaning the attack requires local access, low complexity, low privileges, and user interaction, but results in high impact on confidentiality, integrity, and availability. No known exploits are currently reported in the wild, and no patches have been linked yet. This vulnerability poses a significant risk as it can be leveraged to gain elevated privileges on affected Android devices, potentially allowing attackers to bypass security controls, access sensitive data, or install persistent malware.

For European organizations, this vulnerability presents a considerable risk, especially for enterprises and government agencies relying on Android devices for communication, authentication, or mobile workforce operations. The ability to escalate privileges locally can lead to unauthorized access to confidential corporate or personal data, manipulation of device settings, or installation of malicious applications with elevated rights. This could compromise data confidentiality and integrity, disrupt business operations, and facilitate further attacks such as lateral movement or espionage. Given the widespread use of Android devices in Europe across various sectors including finance, healthcare, and public administration, the vulnerability could be exploited to target sensitive information or critical infrastructure. The requirement for user interaction means social engineering or phishing campaigns could be used to trick users into triggering the exploit, increasing the attack surface. Additionally, the high impact on availability could lead to denial of service conditions on affected devices, disrupting essential services.

European organizations should implement targeted mitigation strategies beyond generic advice: 1) Enforce strict mobile device management (MDM) policies to control app installations and permissions, minimizing the risk of malicious overlays. 2) Educate users about the risks of tapjacking and social engineering, emphasizing caution when interacting with unexpected prompts or overlays. 3) Deploy endpoint protection solutions capable of detecting suspicious UI overlay behaviors or unauthorized privilege escalations on Android devices. 4) Monitor device logs and user activity for anomalies indicative of exploitation attempts. 5) Prioritize patch management by closely following Google’s security advisories and applying updates promptly once patches become available. 6) Restrict use of Android devices for sensitive operations where possible or enforce multi-factor authentication to reduce the impact of compromised devices. 7) Consider implementing application whitelisting and sandboxing techniques to limit the capabilities of apps that could exploit this vulnerability. 8) Collaborate with security vendors to obtain threat intelligence and detection signatures related to this vulnerability to enhance defensive measures.