CVE-2025-22439 is a high-severity elevation of privilege vulnerability affecting Google Android versions 13, 14, and 15. The flaw resides in the onLastAccessedStackLoaded method of the ActionHandler.java component, where a missing permission check allows an attacker to bypass storage restrictions imposed across different apps. This vulnerability enables a local attacker to escalate privileges without requiring additional execution privileges beyond those already granted to the app. However, exploitation requires user interaction, indicating that the attacker must trick the user into performing some action to trigger the vulnerability. The vulnerability is classified under CWE-862 (Missing Authorization), highlighting that the root cause is an improper authorization check. The CVSS v3.1 base score is 7.3, reflecting high impact on confidentiality, integrity, and availability, with an attack vector of local access, low attack complexity, low privileges required, and user interaction needed. No known exploits are currently reported in the wild, and no patches have been linked yet. This vulnerability could allow malicious apps or local users to access or modify data across app boundaries, potentially leading to data leakage, unauthorized data modification, or denial of service conditions on affected Android devices.

For European organizations, this vulnerability poses a significant risk, especially those relying heavily on Android devices for business operations, including mobile workforce, BYOD policies, and IoT deployments. The ability to bypass storage restrictions can lead to unauthorized access to sensitive corporate data stored within apps, violating data protection regulations such as GDPR. Confidentiality breaches could expose personal data of EU citizens, leading to legal and financial repercussions. Integrity impacts could allow attackers to alter data or app behavior, potentially disrupting business processes or enabling further attacks. Availability impacts could arise if the vulnerability is leveraged to cause app or system instability. Since exploitation requires user interaction, phishing or social engineering campaigns targeting employees could be used to trigger the vulnerability. The lack of a patch at the time of disclosure increases the window of exposure. Organizations with high compliance requirements and sensitive data on mobile devices are particularly at risk.

European organizations should implement a multi-layered mitigation strategy: 1) Enforce strict mobile device management (MDM) policies to control app installations and permissions, limiting exposure to potentially malicious apps. 2) Educate users about the risks of interacting with untrusted apps or links, emphasizing caution to prevent triggering the vulnerability. 3) Monitor for unusual app behavior or access patterns that could indicate exploitation attempts. 4) Restrict local access to devices through strong authentication and physical security controls to reduce the risk of local attacks. 5) Stay informed about official security advisories from Google and apply patches promptly once available. 6) Consider deploying endpoint detection and response (EDR) solutions capable of identifying privilege escalation attempts on Android devices. 7) For critical environments, evaluate the feasibility of restricting use of affected Android versions or devices until patches are released.