CVE-2025-32349 is a high-severity elevation of privilege vulnerability affecting multiple recent versions of the Google Android operating system, specifically versions 13 through 16. The vulnerability arises from multiple locations within the Android system where a tapjacking or overlay attack can be leveraged to escalate privileges locally. Tapjacking is a technique where an attacker tricks a user into tapping on a concealed interface element by overlaying a transparent or deceptive UI layer. However, in this case, the vulnerability allows privilege escalation without requiring any user interaction, which significantly increases the risk and ease of exploitation. The attacker does not need additional execution privileges to exploit this flaw, indicating that an attacker with limited access to the device could leverage this vulnerability to gain higher privileges, potentially full system control. The CVSS v3.1 base score is 7.8, reflecting high severity, with metrics indicating local attack vector (AV:L), low attack complexity (AC:L), requiring low privileges (PR:L), no user interaction (UI:N), unchanged scope (S:U), and high impact on confidentiality, integrity, and availability (C:H/I:H/A:H). The vulnerability is categorized under CWE-1021, which relates to improper restriction of operations within the bounds of a memory buffer, often leading to privilege escalation. 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 workarounds once available. Given the affected Android versions are widely deployed across many devices globally, this vulnerability represents a significant risk for local attackers to gain unauthorized elevated privileges without user involvement.

For European organizations, this vulnerability poses a substantial risk, especially for enterprises relying on Android devices for business operations, including mobile workforce management, secure communications, and access to corporate resources. An attacker exploiting this vulnerability could gain elevated privileges on compromised devices, potentially bypassing security controls, accessing sensitive corporate data, installing persistent malware, or pivoting to other network resources. The lack of required user interaction lowers the barrier for exploitation, increasing the likelihood of successful attacks. This could lead to data breaches, intellectual property theft, disruption of business operations, and compromise of user privacy. Sectors such as finance, healthcare, government, and critical infrastructure in Europe, which often use Android devices for secure communications and operations, are particularly at risk. Additionally, the vulnerability could be leveraged in targeted attacks against high-value individuals or organizations, increasing the threat landscape. The absence of known exploits in the wild currently provides a window for proactive mitigation, but the high severity and broad impact necessitate urgent attention.

European organizations should implement a multi-layered mitigation strategy beyond generic advice: 1) Inventory and prioritize Android devices running affected versions (13 to 16) within the organization. 2) Monitor vendor communications closely for official patches or security updates from Google and apply them promptly once available. 3) Employ Mobile Device Management (MDM) solutions to enforce security policies, restrict installation of untrusted applications, and control device configurations to minimize exposure. 4) Limit local access to devices by enforcing strong authentication mechanisms and restricting physical access to authorized personnel only. 5) Educate users about the risks of installing unknown applications or granting excessive permissions, even though user interaction is not required for exploitation, as layered defenses reduce risk. 6) Implement runtime protection and endpoint detection solutions capable of identifying suspicious privilege escalation behaviors on Android devices. 7) Consider network segmentation and zero-trust principles to limit the impact of compromised devices on broader corporate networks. 8) Conduct regular security assessments and penetration testing focusing on mobile device security to identify and remediate potential weaknesses. These targeted measures will help reduce the attack surface and mitigate the risk posed by this vulnerability until patches are available.