CVE-2025-48566: 
NixOS vulnerability analysis and mitigation

CVE-2025-48566 is a local privilege escalation vulnerability in the Android framework caused by improper input validation that allows a possible bypass of user profile boundaries via a forwarded intent. It affects Android versions 13.0, 14.0, 15.0, and 16.0. The vulnerability was disclosed in the December 2025 Android Security Bulletin (published December 1, 2025) and assigned a CVSS v3.1 base score of 7.8 (High) (Android Security Bulletin).

The root cause is classified as CWE-20 (Improper Input Validation) and exists in multiple locations within the Android framework, specifically in platform/frameworks/base and platform/packages/modules/IntentResolver. An attacker exploits the flaw by crafting a forwarded intent that bypasses user profile boundary enforcement, allowing code to cross profile boundaries without proper authorization. The attack vector is local, requires only low privileges, and no user interaction is needed, making it exploitable by any app with basic execution access on the device (Android Security Bulletin).

Successful exploitation allows a local attacker to escalate privileges beyond their assigned user profile, achieving high confidentiality, integrity, and availability impact on the affected device. An attacker could access data belonging to other user profiles (e.g., work profiles), modify system state, or disrupt device availability — all without requiring additional execution privileges or user interaction. The vulnerability affects a broad range of Android devices running versions 13 through 16, representing a significant portion of the active Android ecosystem (Android Security Bulletin).

There is currently no public proof-of-concept exploit and no evidence of in-the-wild exploitation as of the time of disclosure. The EPSS score is very low at 0.0001, reflecting limited near-term exploitation probability. The vulnerability has not been added to the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEV) catalog. No threat actor attribution has been reported (Android Security Bulletin).

1. Identify target device: Confirm the target Android device is running version 13.0, 14.0, 15.0, or 16.0 and has not applied the December 2025 security patch.
2. Install malicious app: Deploy a malicious application on the device that has at least low-privilege local execution access (e.g., a sideloaded app or one installed via social engineering).
3. Craft malicious forwarded intent: Construct a specially crafted Android Intent that exploits the improper input validation in the IntentResolver or framework base components to bypass user profile boundary checks.
4. Forward the intent: Trigger the forwarded intent from within the malicious app, causing the Android framework to process it without proper profile boundary enforcement.
5. Achieve privilege escalation: The bypassed profile boundary allows the attacker's code to access resources, data, or capabilities belonging to another user profile (e.g., a managed work profile), effectively escalating local privileges (Android Security Bulletin).

• Logs: Android system logs (logcat) showing unexpected cross-profile intent resolution events or IntentResolver errors involving profile boundary checks.
• Process Behavior: Applications unexpectedly accessing resources or data associated with a different user profile (e.g., work profile data accessed from a personal profile app).
• Network: Unusual data exfiltration from apps that should not have cross-profile access, potentially observable via network monitoring tools on managed devices.
• File System: Unexpected files or data appearing in profile-separated storage locations that should not be accessible to the offending application.

Google released patches in the December 2025 Android Security Bulletin (security patch level 2025-12-01), with code fixes applied to platform/frameworks/base and platform/packages/modules/IntentResolver. Device owners and administrators should apply the December 2025 security update immediately. No configuration-based workaround is available; patching is the only effective remediation. Enterprise administrators should prioritize updating managed Android devices and monitor for devices that cannot receive the patch (Android Security Bulletin).

The vulnerability was covered as part of broader reporting on the December 2025 Android Security Bulletin, which addressed over 100 Android vulnerabilities. Security outlets including SOCRadar and BeyondMachines noted the scale of the December patch cycle. No specific researcher commentary or notable social media discussion focused exclusively on CVE-2025-48566 has been identified (SOCRadar, BeyondMachines).