CVE-2025-22421 is a medium-severity information disclosure vulnerability affecting Google Android versions 13, 14, and 15. The flaw resides in the NotificationContentDescription.kt component, specifically within the contentDescForNotification function. Due to a logic error in the code, notification content intended to be protected can leak through the lockscreen interface. This leakage allows an attacker with local access to the device to view sensitive notification information without requiring any additional execution privileges or user interaction. The vulnerability is categorized under CWE-209, which relates to information exposure through error messages or unintended data disclosure. Exploitation does not require authentication beyond local device access, and no user interaction is necessary, making it easier for an attacker with physical or local access to extract confidential information displayed in notifications. Although the vulnerability does not impact integrity or availability, the confidentiality impact is high, as sensitive data could be exposed to unauthorized viewers. The CVSS v3.1 score is 5.5, reflecting a medium severity level, with attack vector local (AV:L), low attack complexity (AC:L), low privileges required (PR:L), no user interaction (UI:N), unchanged scope (S:U), high confidentiality impact (C:H), and no impact on integrity or availability (I:N/A:N). No known exploits are currently reported in the wild, and no patches have been linked yet, indicating that mitigation may rely on vendor updates or configuration changes once available.

For European organizations, this vulnerability poses a risk primarily to confidentiality of sensitive information displayed in notifications on Android devices. Many enterprises use Android smartphones for business communications, including emails, messaging apps, and notifications from corporate applications that may contain sensitive data such as meeting details, personal information, or security alerts. An attacker with physical or local access to a device could exploit this vulnerability to gain unauthorized insight into such information without needing to unlock the device or interact with the user. This could facilitate further social engineering attacks, espionage, or unauthorized data collection. The impact is particularly relevant for sectors with high data sensitivity requirements such as finance, healthcare, government, and critical infrastructure. Although the vulnerability does not allow remote exploitation, the risk remains significant in environments where devices may be lost, stolen, or accessed by unauthorized personnel. The lack of user interaction requirement increases the threat as the attacker can passively observe leaked notification content. Given the widespread use of Android devices across Europe, the vulnerability could affect a large number of endpoints, potentially leading to breaches of confidentiality and compliance violations under regulations like GDPR if personal data is exposed.

To mitigate this vulnerability, European organizations should: 1) Monitor for and promptly apply official security patches from Google as they become available for Android versions 13, 14, and 15. 2) Configure device lockscreen notification settings to limit or disable the display of sensitive notification content on the lockscreen, for example by setting notifications to 'hide sensitive content' or 'show notifications but hide content'. 3) Enforce strong device access controls, including biometric or PIN authentication, to reduce the risk of unauthorized local access. 4) Educate users on the risks of leaving devices unattended and the importance of physical security. 5) Implement Mobile Device Management (MDM) policies that restrict or control notification visibility and enforce security configurations centrally. 6) Audit applications that generate notifications to ensure they do not expose sensitive data unnecessarily in notifications. 7) Consider additional endpoint protection solutions that can monitor or restrict unauthorized local access attempts. These steps go beyond generic advice by focusing on configuration changes and organizational policies that reduce the attack surface until patches are deployed.