CVE-2025-48533 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 a race condition in the handling of apps linked from a context menu within a lockscreen app. This race condition allows a local attacker to escalate their privileges without requiring additional execution privileges or user interaction. The flaw is classified under CWE-362 (Race Condition), indicating that the timing of operations can be manipulated to bypass intended security controls. Exploitation involves triggering the race condition to gain elevated privileges on the device, potentially allowing an attacker to execute unauthorized actions, access sensitive data, or modify system settings. The CVSS v3.1 base score is 7.0, reflecting a high severity with the following vector: Attack Vector: Local (AV:L), Attack Complexity: High (AC:H), Privileges Required: Low (PR:L), User Interaction: None (UI:N), Scope: Unchanged (S:U), and impacts on Confidentiality, Integrity, and Availability all rated High (C:H/I:H/A:H). No known exploits are currently reported in the wild, and no patches have been linked yet, indicating that mitigation may rely on vendor updates once available. The vulnerability is significant because it does not require user interaction and can be exploited locally by an attacker with limited privileges, making it a potent threat especially on devices that may be physically accessible or compromised by other means.

For European organizations, this vulnerability poses a substantial risk, particularly for enterprises and government entities that rely on Android devices for secure communications, data access, and operational control. Successful exploitation could lead to unauthorized privilege escalation, enabling attackers to bypass security controls, access confidential information, install persistent malware, or disrupt device availability. This could compromise sensitive corporate or governmental data, violate data protection regulations such as GDPR, and undermine trust in mobile device security. The lack of required user interaction increases the risk of silent exploitation, making detection and prevention more challenging. Organizations with Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) policies or those deploying Android devices in critical roles (e.g., field operations, secure communications) are especially vulnerable. The high impact on confidentiality, integrity, and availability underscores the need for immediate attention to this vulnerability to prevent potential data breaches or operational disruptions.

Given the absence of an official patch at the time of this report, European organizations should implement several practical mitigation strategies: 1) Restrict physical access to Android devices to trusted personnel only, minimizing the risk of local exploitation. 2) Enforce strict device management policies using Mobile Device Management (MDM) solutions to monitor device integrity and detect anomalous behavior indicative of privilege escalation attempts. 3) Disable or limit the use of lockscreen apps that provide context menus linking to other apps, or replace them with vendor-approved secure lockscreen mechanisms. 4) Educate users about the risks of installing untrusted applications and the importance of maintaining updated software. 5) Prepare for rapid deployment of security patches once Google releases updates by establishing a robust patch management process. 6) Employ endpoint detection and response (EDR) tools capable of identifying suspicious local privilege escalation activities. 7) Consider network segmentation and least privilege principles to limit the impact of compromised devices within organizational networks.