CVE-2025-22435 is a critical elevation of privilege vulnerability affecting Google Android versions 13, 14, and 15. The vulnerability arises from a type confusion issue in the avdt_msg_ind function within the avdt_msg.cc source file. Type confusion vulnerabilities occur when a program mistakenly treats a piece of memory as a different type than it actually is, potentially leading to memory corruption. In this case, the memory corruption can be exploited by a paired device to escalate privileges on the target Android device without requiring any additional execution privileges or user interaction. This means that an attacker with control over a paired device (e.g., via Bluetooth or other device pairing mechanisms) can leverage this flaw to gain higher privileges on the victim device, potentially leading to full system compromise. The vulnerability is classified under CWE-843 (Type Confusion) and has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 9.8, indicating a critical severity level. The CVSS vector (AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H) shows that the attack can be performed remotely over the network with low attack complexity, requires no privileges or user interaction, and impacts confidentiality, integrity, and availability to a high degree. No known exploits are currently reported in the wild, and no patches have been linked yet, which suggests that this vulnerability is newly disclosed and may be actively targeted in the near future. Given the nature of the vulnerability, it poses a significant risk to Android devices, especially those that maintain paired device connections, such as Bluetooth peripherals or IoT devices paired with smartphones. Attackers could leverage this flaw to bypass security controls, access sensitive data, install persistent malware, or disrupt device operations.

For European organizations, the impact of CVE-2025-22435 is substantial due to the widespread use of Android devices across enterprises, government agencies, and critical infrastructure sectors. The ability for an attacker to escalate privileges without user interaction or prior authentication means that devices can be compromised silently and remotely once paired with a malicious device. This could lead to unauthorized access to corporate data, interception of communications, and potential lateral movement within enterprise networks if Android devices are used as entry points. The vulnerability also threatens the integrity and availability of devices, potentially disrupting business operations and critical services. Sectors such as finance, healthcare, telecommunications, and public administration, which rely heavily on mobile devices for secure communications and operations, are particularly at risk. Additionally, the vulnerability could be exploited to target high-profile individuals or government officials by compromising their mobile devices through paired accessories or devices. The lack of a patch at the time of disclosure increases the urgency for organizations to implement interim mitigations and monitor for suspicious activity related to device pairing and Bluetooth communications.

1. Immediately audit and restrict device pairing policies within the organization, limiting paired devices to only those that are trusted and necessary. 2. Disable or restrict Bluetooth and other pairing protocols on Android devices where not essential, especially in sensitive environments. 3. Implement network segmentation and endpoint detection to monitor for unusual Bluetooth or device pairing activities that could indicate exploitation attempts. 4. Deploy Mobile Device Management (MDM) solutions to enforce security policies, control device configurations, and push security updates promptly once patches become available. 5. Educate users about the risks of pairing with unknown or untrusted devices and encourage reporting of suspicious device behavior. 6. Monitor vendor advisories and apply official security patches immediately upon release to remediate the vulnerability. 7. For high-risk environments, consider using Android devices with verified boot and hardware-backed security features to reduce the impact of privilege escalation. 8. Employ anomaly detection tools that can identify abnormal privilege escalations or memory corruption indicators on Android endpoints.