CVE-2025-48601 in Android
Summary
by MITRE • 12/08/2025
In multiple locations, there is a possible permanent denial of service due to improper input validation. This could lead to local escalation of privilege with no additional execution privileges needed. User interaction is not needed for exploitation.
If you want to get best quality of vulnerability data, you may have to visit VulDB.
Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 12/21/2025
This vulnerability represents a critical weakness in input validation mechanisms that exists across multiple system components, creating a persistent denial of service condition that can be exploited without user interaction. The flaw stems from inadequate sanitization and validation of input parameters, allowing malicious actors to craft inputs that trigger system instability or resource exhaustion. The permanent nature of this denial of service indicates that once exploited, the system may remain compromised until manual intervention occurs, potentially leading to extended downtime and operational disruption. The vulnerability's classification as allowing local privilege escalation without additional execution privileges demonstrates its severity, as attackers can leverage this weakness to gain elevated system rights from a standard user position. This particular weakness aligns with CWE-20, which specifically addresses improper input validation as a fundamental security flaw that can lead to various attack vectors including privilege escalation and system instability. The lack of requirement for user interaction makes this vulnerability particularly dangerous as it can be exploited automatically, potentially through automated scanning tools or by adversaries who have already gained initial access to the system.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability likely involves insufficient validation of user-supplied data or system parameters within multiple subsystems, creating pathways for malformed inputs to propagate through the system. Attackers can exploit this by submitting carefully crafted inputs that cause the system to enter an unrecoverable state or consume excessive resources, ultimately leading to permanent service unavailability. The local privilege escalation aspect suggests that the vulnerability may be present in system components that handle user authentication, process management, or privilege delegation mechanisms where input validation failures can be leveraged to execute elevated operations. This exploitation pattern corresponds to ATT&CK technique T1068, which covers "Local Privilege Escalation" through the exploitation of system weaknesses that allow attackers to gain higher-level permissions. The vulnerability's impact extends beyond simple service disruption as it creates opportunities for persistent system compromise, potentially enabling attackers to establish footholds for further malicious activities.
The operational impact of this vulnerability could be severe for organizations relying on affected systems, as the permanent denial of service condition may require complete system restarts or manual intervention to restore normal operations. System administrators may face extended downtime periods while investigating and resolving the compromised state, potentially affecting business continuity and service availability. The local privilege escalation capability significantly amplifies the risk, as attackers can use this vulnerability to gain administrative access to systems, potentially leading to data breaches, system compromise, or further network infiltration. Organizations may need to implement immediate patching strategies and monitor for signs of exploitation, as the vulnerability's automatic exploitation potential means that adversaries could be actively targeting systems without requiring any user interaction. This type of vulnerability often requires comprehensive system hardening approaches, including input validation improvements, privilege separation mechanisms, and enhanced monitoring to detect anomalous behavior patterns that might indicate exploitation attempts.
Mitigation strategies should focus on implementing robust input validation across all system components, including regular code reviews and security testing to identify similar validation weaknesses. Organizations should prioritize patch management processes to ensure timely deployment of vendor-provided fixes, while also implementing network segmentation and access controls to limit potential exploitation impact. The remediation approach should include comprehensive testing to verify that input validation mechanisms properly handle edge cases and malformed inputs without causing system instability. Security monitoring should be enhanced to detect unusual system behavior patterns that might indicate exploitation attempts, particularly focusing on privilege escalation events and resource consumption anomalies. Additionally, implementing principle of least privilege configurations and regular system audits can help reduce the potential impact of successful exploitation attempts. The vulnerability underscores the importance of defensive programming practices and adherence to secure coding standards that prevent input validation failures from creating exploitable conditions in system components.