CVE-2025-26431
📋 TL;DR
This vulnerability in Android's accessibility services allows attackers to hide enabled accessibility services through a logic error, potentially enabling local privilege escalation without user interaction. It affects Android devices, particularly Wear OS devices, where malicious apps could exploit this flaw.
💻 Affected Systems
- Android
- Wear OS
📦 What is this software?
Android by Google
⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact
Worst Case
An attacker gains full device control by exploiting accessibility service privileges to execute arbitrary code with elevated permissions, potentially compromising sensitive data and device integrity.
Likely Case
Malicious apps abuse accessibility permissions to perform unauthorized actions like installing additional malware, stealing credentials, or monitoring user activity without detection.
If Mitigated
With proper app vetting and security controls, exploitation is limited to isolated app sandboxes with minimal data exposure.
🎯 Exploit Status
Exploitation requires a malicious app to be installed but no user interaction during execution.
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: May 2025 Android security update
Vendor Advisory: https://source.android.com/security/bulletin/wear/2025-05-01
Restart Required: Yes
Instructions:
1. Apply the May 2025 Android security update via Settings > System > System update. 2. For managed devices, push the update through MDM/EMM. 3. Verify the patch is applied by checking the security patch level.
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Disable unnecessary accessibility services
allReduce attack surface by disabling accessibility services that are not essential for device operation.
Restrict app installations
allOnly allow app installations from trusted sources like Google Play Store with Play Protect enabled.
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Implement strict app vetting policies to prevent installation of untrusted applications.
- Use mobile device management (MDM) solutions to monitor and restrict accessibility service usage.
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Check the security patch level in Settings > About phone > Android version. If before May 2025, the device is vulnerable.Check Version:
adb shell getprop ro.build.version.security_patchVerify Fix Applied:
Confirm the security patch level shows 'May 5, 2025' or later in Settings > About phone.📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- Unexpected accessibility service toggles in system logs
- Apps requesting accessibility permissions abnormally
Network Indicators:
- Unusual network traffic from apps with accessibility permissions
SIEM Query:
source="android_system" AND event="accessibility_service_change" AND user_interaction=false