CVE-2025-48523 in Android
Summary
by MITRE • 09/04/2025
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.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 09/07/2025
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2025-48523 resides within the onCreate method of SelectAccountActivity.java, representing a critical logic flaw that undermines the application's permission model. This issue stems from inadequate access control verification during contact management operations, creating a pathway for unauthorized contact additions that bypass established security boundaries. The flaw operates at the application level where proper authorization checks fail to validate whether the executing process possesses the necessary privileges to modify contact data. Such a vulnerability directly violates fundamental security principles and represents a significant deviation from secure coding practices that should enforce strict permission boundaries.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability manifests as a logic error that permits contact addition operations regardless of the user's actual authorization status. When the SelectAccountActivity initializes, the onCreate method fails to properly validate permissions before allowing contact modification operations, creating an implicit trust relationship that should not exist. This logic error effectively removes the need for explicit permission checks, allowing any code path within the application to potentially execute contact addition operations without proper authorization. The flaw operates silently without requiring user interaction, making it particularly dangerous as it can be exploited automatically without any overt signs of compromise.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple unauthorized contact additions to represent a potential local escalation of privilege vector. Attackers can leverage this flaw to gain elevated system privileges through contact manipulation, potentially accessing sensitive data or performing operations that should be restricted to authorized users only. The absence of user interaction requirements means that exploitation can occur automatically, making this vulnerability particularly concerning for applications that handle sensitive personal or organizational data. This represents a significant threat to data integrity and privacy, as unauthorized modifications to contact information can serve as a foundation for more complex attacks or data exfiltration attempts.
From a cybersecurity perspective, this vulnerability aligns with CWE-284 (Improper Access Control) and represents a clear violation of the principle of least privilege. The flaw demonstrates poor adherence to security by design principles and indicates a lack of proper input validation and access control mechanisms within the application's security architecture. Organizations should implement comprehensive code review processes that specifically target permission validation logic and access control implementations. The ATT&CK framework categorizes this type of vulnerability under privilege escalation techniques, where adversaries exploit application-level flaws to gain elevated privileges without additional execution privileges.
Mitigation strategies should focus on implementing robust permission checking mechanisms within the SelectAccountActivity's onCreate method, ensuring that all contact modification operations require explicit authorization before execution. Developers must enforce proper access control validation at the point of contact addition, verifying user permissions through established authentication and authorization frameworks. The application should implement comprehensive logging of contact modification operations to detect unauthorized access attempts. Regular security testing including static code analysis and dynamic application security testing should be employed to identify similar logic errors. Additionally, organizations should establish secure coding standards that mandate explicit permission validation for all sensitive operations, particularly those involving user data modification or access control decisions.