CVE-2025-36921
📋 TL;DR
This vulnerability allows an attacker to read memory beyond intended boundaries in the baseband firmware's ProtocolPsUnthrottleApn() function. Exploitation requires compromising the baseband firmware first, but can then lead to local information disclosure without user interaction. This primarily affects Android devices with vulnerable baseband implementations.
💻 Affected Systems
- Google Pixel devices with vulnerable baseband firmware
📦 What is this software?
Android by Google
⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact
Worst Case
An attacker with baseband firmware compromise could read sensitive memory contents, potentially exposing cryptographic keys, authentication tokens, or other protected data stored in adjacent memory regions.
Likely Case
Limited information disclosure from baseband memory regions, potentially exposing some device configuration data or temporary buffers, but unlikely to reveal highly sensitive user data without additional vulnerabilities.
If Mitigated
With proper baseband firmware integrity protections and memory isolation, exploitation would be prevented or limited to non-sensitive memory regions.
🎯 Exploit Status
Exploitation requires first compromising the baseband firmware, which is typically difficult and requires specialized knowledge of baseband systems.
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: December 2025 Android security patch or later
Vendor Advisory: https://source.android.com/security/bulletin/pixel/2025-12-01
Restart Required: Yes
Instructions:
1. Check for system updates in Settings > System > System update. 2. Install the December 2025 security patch or later. 3. Reboot the device after installation completes.
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Baseband firmware integrity monitoring
androidImplement monitoring for baseband firmware integrity violations or unauthorized modifications
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Implement strict physical security controls to prevent unauthorized baseband access
- Deploy mobile device management (MDM) solutions with firmware integrity checking capabilities
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Check Android security patch level in Settings > About phone > Android version. If patch level is earlier than December 2025, device is vulnerable.Check Version:
adb shell getprop ro.build.version.security_patchVerify Fix Applied:
Verify Android security patch level shows December 2025 or later in Settings > About phone > Android version.📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- Baseband firmware integrity violations
- Unexpected baseband memory access patterns
- Baseband crash logs with out-of-bounds memory references
Network Indicators:
- Anomalous baseband communication patterns
- Unexpected baseband protocol behavior
SIEM Query:
Baseband logs containing memory access violations or integrity check failures