CVE-2025-22420
📋 TL;DR
This CVE describes a confused deputy vulnerability in Android that allows unauthorized access to audio files across user profiles. An attacker could leverage this to escalate privileges locally without requiring user interaction. This affects Android devices with multiple user profiles enabled.
💻 Affected Systems
- Android
📦 What is this software?
Android by Google
Android by Google
Android by Google
Android by Google
⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact
Worst Case
An attacker gains unauthorized access to sensitive audio recordings from other user profiles, potentially including private conversations, recordings, or system audio.
Likely Case
Unauthorized access to audio files from other user profiles, compromising user privacy and potentially exposing sensitive information.
If Mitigated
With proper patching and isolation controls, audio files remain properly segregated between user profiles.
🎯 Exploit Status
Exploitation requires local access to the device and knowledge of the confused deputy pattern. No user interaction is needed once the attack is initiated.
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: Android December 2025 security patch
Vendor Advisory: https://source.android.com/security/bulletin/2025-12-01
Restart Required: Yes
Instructions:
1. Check for Android system updates in Settings > System > System update. 2. Install the December 2025 security patch. 3. Restart the device after installation completes.
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Disable multiple user profiles
androidRemove or disable additional user profiles to eliminate the attack surface
Settings > System > Multiple users > Remove unwanted profiles
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Restrict physical access to devices and implement strong device access controls
- Disable audio recording permissions for non-essential applications
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Check Android version in Settings > About phone > Android version. If version is prior to December 2025 security patch, device is vulnerable.Check Version:
adb shell getprop ro.build.version.security_patchVerify Fix Applied:
Verify Android security patch level in Settings > About phone > Android security update. Should show 'December 1, 2025' or later.📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- Unusual audio file access patterns across user profiles
- Permission violations in system logs
Network Indicators:
- Not applicable - local vulnerability
SIEM Query:
Not applicable for this local-only vulnerability