CVE-2025-22433 is a high-severity elevation of privilege vulnerability affecting Google Android versions 13, 14, and 15. The flaw exists in the canForward method of the IntentForwarderActivity.java component, which is responsible for handling cross-profile intent forwarding, a mechanism commonly used in Work Profile scenarios to separate personal and work data on the same device. Due to a logic error in the code, the cross-profile intent filter can be bypassed, allowing an attacker with local access and limited privileges to escalate their privileges without requiring additional execution rights or user interaction. This vulnerability falls under CWE-693, which relates to protection mechanism failures caused by logic errors. The CVSS v3.1 base score is 7.8, reflecting high impact on confidentiality, integrity, and availability, with low attack complexity and no user interaction needed. Although no known exploits are currently reported in the wild, the vulnerability's nature makes it a significant risk for Android users, especially in enterprise environments where Work Profiles are widely used to enforce separation of personal and corporate data. The absence of a patch link indicates that remediation may still be pending or in progress.

For European organizations, this vulnerability poses a substantial risk, particularly for enterprises relying on Android Work Profiles to secure corporate data on employee devices. Successful exploitation can lead to unauthorized access to sensitive corporate information, data leakage, and potential disruption of business operations. The ability to escalate privileges locally without user interaction means that malware or malicious insiders could leverage this flaw to bypass security controls, compromise device integrity, and potentially move laterally within corporate networks. Given the widespread adoption of Android devices in Europe and the increasing use of mobile device management (MDM) solutions enforcing Work Profiles, this vulnerability could undermine endpoint security strategies and increase the attack surface. Additionally, regulatory frameworks such as GDPR impose strict data protection requirements, and exploitation of this vulnerability could lead to data breaches with legal and financial consequences for affected organizations.

European organizations should prioritize the following mitigation steps: 1) Monitor for official patches or security updates from Google and apply them promptly once available to eliminate the vulnerability. 2) Until patches are deployed, restrict local access to Android devices, especially those with Work Profiles, to trusted users only. 3) Employ Mobile Threat Defense (MTD) solutions capable of detecting anomalous behavior indicative of privilege escalation attempts. 4) Enforce strict device enrollment and compliance policies via MDM platforms to limit installation of untrusted applications and reduce the risk of local exploitation. 5) Educate employees about the risks of installing unauthorized apps and the importance of device security hygiene. 6) Consider additional endpoint security controls that monitor inter-profile communication and intent forwarding activities to detect suspicious bypass attempts. 7) Conduct regular security assessments and penetration tests focusing on mobile device configurations and privilege boundaries to identify potential exploitation vectors.