CVE-2025-48640: Google Android Privilege Escalation Flaw

CVE-2025-48640 Overview

CVE-2025-48640 is a missing authorization vulnerability [CWE-862] in Google Android 17.0 that allows a third-party passkey entry pairing to be approved without the required permission check. The flaw exists in multiple locations within the Android platform and enables an attacker on an adjacent network to gain elevated privileges without user interaction. Google tracks this issue in the Android Security Bulletin for Android 17.

Critical Impact
An adjacent-network attacker can approve a third-party passkey pairing without user interaction, leading to remote escalation of privilege with confidentiality, integrity, and availability impact on the affected device.

Affected Products

Google Android 17.0
Devices running the unpatched Android 17 platform
Bluetooth/passkey pairing subsystem components within Android 17

Discovery Timeline

2026-06-17 - CVE-2025-48640 published to the National Vulnerability Database
2026-06-18 - Entry last updated in the NVD
2026 - Addressed in the Android Security Bulletin #17

Technical Details for CVE-2025-48640

Vulnerability Analysis

The vulnerability is a missing authorization check [CWE-862] in the Android passkey pairing approval flow. Multiple code paths involved in approving a third-party passkey entry fail to verify that the calling component holds the required permission. As a result, a privileged action that should be gated by an explicit permission can be triggered without that check passing.

Because the missing check sits in the pairing approval logic, an attacker who can reach the device over an adjacent network channel can cause the system to accept a pairing it would otherwise reject. Successful exploitation produces a high-impact compromise of confidentiality, integrity, and availability with no user interaction required.

Root Cause

The root cause is the absence of a permission verification step in the code paths that approve third-party passkey pairing entries. Android's security model relies on permission checks before sensitive operations are performed by privileged services. In this case, the approval routine accepts requests without confirming that the caller is authorized, breaking the platform's access control assumptions for pairing.

Attack Vector

Exploitation requires adjacent-network access, consistent with Bluetooth or local wireless proximity. The attacker needs low privileges and no user interaction. By issuing a crafted pairing-related request to a vulnerable Android 17 device, the attacker can cause the system to approve a third-party passkey pairing and gain elevated privileges on the device.

No public proof-of-concept code or in-the-wild exploitation has been reported. The vulnerability mechanism is described in prose only because no verified exploit code is available. See the Android Security Bulletin #17 for vendor technical references.

Detection Methods for CVE-2025-48640

Indicators of Compromise

Unexpected Bluetooth or passkey pairing approvals on Android 17 devices with no corresponding user action.
New paired devices appearing in the device's Bluetooth settings outside of normal provisioning windows.
System log entries showing pairing approvals from components that should not have permission to grant them.

Detection Strategies

Audit Android device pairing logs and Bluetooth event records for approvals lacking a matching user-consent event.
Use mobile device management (MDM) telemetry to inventory paired peripherals and flag unauthorized additions on Android 17 endpoints.
Correlate proximity-based anomalies, such as repeated pairing attempts from unknown devices, with subsequent privilege-sensitive activity.

Monitoring Recommendations

Forward Android system and Bluetooth logs to a centralized analytics platform to baseline normal pairing behavior.
Alert on new third-party passkey pairings on managed Android 17 fleets, especially in sensitive environments.
Track Android security patch level (ro.build.version.security_patch) across the fleet to identify devices missing the Android Security Bulletin #17 fix.

How to Mitigate CVE-2025-48640

Immediate Actions Required

Apply the Android security patch level associated with Android Security Bulletin #17 to all Android 17 devices.
Enforce patch compliance through MDM policy and quarantine devices that remain below the required security patch level.
Review existing paired devices on managed endpoints and remove any unrecognized passkey pairings.

Patch Information

Google has addressed CVE-2025-48640 in the Android 17 platform via the Android Security Bulletin #17. Device manufacturers ship the corresponding security patch level through their normal over-the-air update channels. Confirm that the device security patch level matches or exceeds the level called out in the bulletin.

Workarounds

Disable Bluetooth and other adjacent-network pairing interfaces on Android 17 devices when not in use to limit the attack surface.
Restrict device use to trusted physical environments until patching is complete, since exploitation requires adjacent-network proximity.
Use MDM controls to disallow new pairings on high-risk Android 17 endpoints until the patch is deployed.

bash

# Check the Android security patch level on a connected device
adb shell getprop ro.build.version.security_patch

# List currently bonded Bluetooth devices for audit
adb shell dumpsys bluetooth_manager | grep -i bonded