CVE-2025-48649: Google Android Privilege Escalation Flaw

CVE-2025-48649 Overview

CVE-2025-48649 is a permissions bypass vulnerability affecting multiple components of Google Android. The flaw allows an attacker to reset user-selected permission selections without requiring user interaction or additional execution privileges. Exploitation results in local escalation of privilege on affected devices. The issue is categorized under [CWE-693: Protection Mechanism Failure], indicating that a security control intended to enforce user-granted permissions can be circumvented. Google addressed the vulnerability in the Android Security Bulletin June 2026.

Critical Impact

A local attacker can bypass Android's permission model to escalate privileges, compromising the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of affected devices.

Affected Products

• Google Android 14.0
• Google Android 15.0
• Google Android 16.0 (including QPR2 Beta 1, Beta 2, and Beta 3)

Discovery Timeline

• 2026-06-01 - Google publishes the Android Security Bulletin including CVE-2025-48649
• 2026-06-01 - CVE-2025-48649 published to NVD
• 2026-06-03 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2025-48649

Vulnerability Analysis

The vulnerability resides in multiple locations within the Android operating system where the permission model can be bypassed. An attacker with local access and limited privileges can reset user-selected permission choices, effectively undoing a user's explicit decisions to restrict access to sensitive resources. Because the bypass occurs without user interaction, malicious applications can silently reconfigure granted permissions.

The issue is classified as [CWE-693: Protection Mechanism Failure]. Android's permission framework is the primary access control enforcement layer for sensitive APIs such as location, microphone, camera, contacts, and storage. When this mechanism fails, downstream protections that depend on user consent can no longer be trusted.

Root Cause

The root cause is improper enforcement of permission state across multiple code paths within the Android platform. Specific code paths fail to validate that the caller is authorized to modify previously selected permission states. This allows a local actor to reset permission selections to default or attacker-controlled values, opening access to APIs and data the user had previously restricted.

Attack Vector

The attack vector is local. An attacker requires the ability to run code on the target device, typically through an installed application with low privileges. No user interaction is required. After resetting permission selections, the attacker can leverage the bypass to access protected resources or invoke privileged APIs, achieving local privilege escalation on the device.

No public proof-of-concept exploit code is currently available for CVE-2025-48649. Refer to the Android Security Bulletin June 2026 for technical references provided by Google.

Detection Methods for CVE-2025-48649

Indicators of Compromise

• Unexpected changes to application permission states without corresponding user action in Settings.
• Applications accessing sensitive resources such as location, microphone, or contacts shortly after installation or update without explicit grants.
• Audit log entries showing permission state transitions that do not correlate with user-facing permission dialogs.

Detection Strategies

• Monitor Android PackageManager and AppOpsManager events for permission state resets that occur outside of normal Settings UI flows.
• Compare application permission grant histories against expected user behavior baselines on managed devices.
• Use mobile threat defense telemetry to flag applications invoking permission-protected APIs after a permission reset event.

Monitoring Recommendations

• Enroll devices in Mobile Device Management (MDM) to centrally collect permission audit logs and installed application inventories.
• Track Android build fingerprints across the fleet to identify devices missing the June 2026 security patch level.
• Alert on installations of applications from untrusted sources on devices not yet patched against CVE-2025-48649.

How to Mitigate CVE-2025-48649

Immediate Actions Required

• Apply the June 2026 Android security patch level on all devices running Android 14, 15, and 16.
• Restrict installation of applications from unknown sources via MDM policy until devices are patched.
• Review high-risk applications on unpatched devices and revoke unnecessary permissions manually.

Patch Information

Google released fixes for CVE-2025-48649 as part of the Android Security Bulletin dated June 1, 2026. Devices with a security patch level of 2026-06-01 or later contain the fix. OEMs distribute the corresponding update through their own firmware channels. Refer to the Android Security Bulletin June 2026 for the complete component-level fix list.

Workarounds

• No vendor-supplied workaround is available; applying the security update is the only complete remediation.
• Limit installation to trusted sources such as Google Play and enterprise-managed app stores while updates are pending.
• Audit and remove unused or unnecessary applications to reduce the local attack surface on unpatched devices.

# Verify the Android security patch level on a device
adb shell getprop ro.build.version.security_patch
# Expected output for patched devices: 2026-06-01 or later