VulnerabilityPublished 4 Sep 2025Updated 26 Feb 2026

CVE-2025-48523: Google Android · Elevation of Privilege

Affects Google AndroidSource CVE Database V5

Not known to be exploited · CVSS 7.8 High.

Data as of 26 Oct 2026, 10:12 UTC

CVSS 3.1 base score

7.8High

How severe the flaw is on the 0–10 CVSS scale.

EPSS: 0.09% chance of exploitation in 30 days – higher than 0% of CVEsExploit Prediction Scoring System: the likelihood attackers will use this flaw soon.

CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

Attack Vector: Local
Attack Complexity: Low
Privileges Required: Low
User Interaction: None
Scope: Unchanged
Confidentiality: High
Integrity: High
Availability: High

Bold values are the worst case: easiest to exploit or largest impact.

Attack Vector: Local: The vulnerable component is not bound to the network stack and the attacker’s path is via read/write/execute capabilities. Either: the attacker exploits the vulnerability by accessing the target system locally (e.g., keyboard, console), or remotely (e.g., SSH); or the attacker relies on User Interaction by another person to perform actions required to exploit the vulnerability (e.g., tricking a legitimate user into opening a malicious document).
Attack Complexity: Low: Specialized access conditions or extenuating circumstances do not exist. An attacker can expect repeatable success against the vulnerable component.
Privileges Required: Low: The attacker is authorized with (i.e., requires) privileges that provide basic user capabilities that could normally affect only settings and files owned by a user. Alternatively, an attacker with Low privileges may have the ability to cause an impact only to non-sensitive resources.
User Interaction: None: The vulnerable system can be exploited without any interaction from any user.
Scope: Unchanged: An exploited vulnerability can only affect resources managed by the same security authority. In this case, the vulnerable component and the impacted component are either the same, or both are managed by the same security authority.
Confidentiality: High: There is total loss of confidentiality, resulting in all resources within the impacted component being divulged to the attacker. Alternatively, access to only some restricted information is obtained, but the disclosed information presents a direct, serious impact.
Integrity: High: There is a total loss of integrity, or a complete loss of protection. For example, the attacker is able to modify any/all files protected by the impacted component. Alternatively, only some files can be modified, but malicious modification would present a direct, serious consequence to the impacted component.
Availability: High: There is total loss of availability, resulting in the attacker being able to fully deny access to resources in the impacted component; this loss is either sustained (while the attacker continues to deliver the attack) or persistent (the condition persists even after the attack has completed). Alternatively, the attacker has the ability to deny some availability, but the loss of availability presents a direct, serious consequence to the impacted component (e.g., the attacker cannot disrupt existing connections, but can prevent new connections; the attacker can repeatedly exploit a vulnerability that, in each instance of a successful attack, leaks a only small amount of memory, but after repeated exploitation causes a service to become completely unavailable).

Definitions: FIRST CVSS v3.1 specification.

Exploitation evidence

Disclosed: evidence found.
CVE published 4 Sep 2025
Detectable: no evidence on record.
No public nuclei template indexed
Weaponised: no evidence on record.
No public exploit code indexed in Metasploit or Exploit-DB
Exploited in the wildExploited: no evidence on record.
Not in CISA KEV and no source reports exploitation
Observed by OffSeq MirageSeen by Mirage: no evidence on record.
No attack traffic recorded by OffSeq Mirage sensors

A missing step is not evidence of safety. Sources: cve.org (opens in a new tab), the Metasploit, Exploit-DB and nuclei-templates index as of 26 Oct 2026.

Disclosed: The CVE record is public on cve.org. Its publication is t = 0.
Detectable: A public nuclei template can find exposed instances, for defenders and attackers alike.
Weaponised: Public exploit code exists in Metasploit or Exploit-DB, or CISA SSVC or the CVSS exploit maturity reports a public proof of concept.
Exploited in the wild: CISA KEV lists it, CISA SSVC rates exploitation active, or a source reports attacks.
Observed by OffSeq Mirage: OffSeq Mirage honeypot sensors recorded attack traffic for this CVE, or found exposed hosts without attack traffic.

Moments are spaced evenly, not to scale; a dashed line marks a gap of six months or more. Deltas count from t = 0. Sources that give only a date (CISA KEV, Exploit-DB, or a time of exactly 00:00Z) read “same day” rather than hours. Metasploit modules carry the flaw’s disclosure date, not their release date, and nuclei templates carry no date, so both appear above but not on the timeline.

What to do

Affected software

Product	Affected	Fixed in
Google Android	Affected 13 – 16 4 affected builds	Fixed in–

AI-suggested

Organizations and users should monitor official Google Android security advisories for patches addressing CVE-2025-48523 and apply them promptly once released. Until patches are available, restrict installation of untrusted or third-party applications, especially those requesting contact-related permissions. Employ mobile device management (MDM) solutions to enforce strict app vetting and permission controls. Audit and monitor contact database changes for unusual activity indicative of exploitation attempts. Limit local access to devices by enforcing strong authentication and physical security controls to reduce risk of local privilege escalation. Developers should review and harden contact management code paths to prevent similar logic errors. Security teams should educate users about risks of installing unknown apps and encourage regular device updates. Consider deploying runtime application self-protection (RASP) or endpoint detection and response (EDR) tools capable of detecting anomalous local privilege escalation behaviors. Finally, maintain comprehensive backups of critical data to enable recovery in case of compromise.

Description

In onCreate of SelectAccountActivity.java, there is a possible way to add contacts without permission due to a logic error in the code. This could lead to local escalation of privilege with no additional execution privileges needed. User interaction is not needed for exploitation.

Impact

This vulnerability allows local attackers to bypass Android's permission model and add contacts without authorization, potentially compromising user privacy and device integrity. The ability to manipulate contacts can facilitate phishing, social engineering, or unauthorized data collection. Elevated privileges may enable attackers to install persistent backdoors or interfere with other system components, threatening device availability. Organizations relying on Android devices for sensitive communications or identity management face increased risk of data breaches and operational disruption. The flaw undermines the trust model of Android's security architecture, potentially affecting millions of devices globally. Given the widespread use of Android, especially in enterprise and government sectors, the impact could extend to critical infrastructure and sensitive environments. The absence of required user interaction lowers the barrier for exploitation, increasing the likelihood of automated or stealthy attacks. Overall, the vulnerability poses a significant threat to confidentiality, integrity, and availability of affected systems.

Summary

CVE-2025-48523 is a logic flaw in the Android operating system affecting versions 13, 14, 15, and 16, specifically within the SelectAccountActivity.java file's onCreate method. The vulnerability allows an attacker with limited local privileges to add contacts to the device without requiring the CONTACTS permission, bypassing normal security checks. This represents an elevation of privilege (CWE-863) because the attacker can perform actions normally restricted by Android's permission model. The exploit does not require user interaction, increasing its risk profile. The vulnerability's CVSS 3.1 score is 7.8, reflecting high impact on confidentiality, integrity, and availability, with low attack complexity and limited privileges required. While no public exploits are known, the flaw could be used by malicious apps or local attackers to manipulate contact data, potentially facilitating further attacks such as social engineering, data exfiltration, or persistence mechanisms. The lack of required user interaction and the ability to escalate privileges locally make this a critical concern for device security. The vulnerability was reserved in May 2025 and published in September 2025, but no patches have yet been linked, indicating a need for prompt remediation once available.

CWE-863Incorrect Authorization (opens in a new tab)
Class weaknessLikelihood of exploit: HighCWE Top 25 (2025): #17OWASP Top 10 A01:2025: Broken Access Control (opens in a new tab)
The product performs an authorization check when an actor attempts to access a resource or perform an action, but it does not correctly perform the check.
Architecture and Design
Divide the product into anonymous, normal, privileged, and administrative areas. Reduce the attack surface by carefully mapping roles with data and functionality. Use role-based access control (RBAC) to enforce the roles at the appropriate boundaries.
Architecture and Design
Ensure that access control checks are performed related to the business logic. These checks may be different than the access control checks that are applied to more generic resources such as files, connections, processes, memory, and database records.
Architecture and Design · Libraries or Frameworks
Use a vetted library or framework that does not allow this weakness to occur or provides constructs that make this weakness easier to avoid.
OWASP Cheat Sheets
Authorization (opens in a new tab)
OWASP ASVS 4.0.3
V8.3.8 (opens in a new tab)
V13.4.2 (opens in a new tab)
V7.2.2 (opens in a new tab)
From MITRE CWE, MITRE CAPEC and OWASP (Top 10, OpenCRE).

References

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Exploitation evidence

What to do

Affected software

Description

AI analysisMachine-generated, updated 27 Feb 2026, 02:49 UTC

WeaknessesCWE-863

Technical details

References

Community reviews

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