CVE-2025-48586
📋 TL;DR
This vulnerability allows malicious apps to access contacts from the work profile on Android devices through a confused deputy attack in the telephony service. It enables local privilege escalation without requiring user interaction or additional permissions. Android devices with work profiles are affected.
💻 Affected Systems
- Android
📦 What is this software?
Android by Google
Android by Google
⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact
Worst Case
Malicious app gains unauthorized access to all work profile contacts, potentially exposing sensitive business information, personal data, and enabling further attacks within the work environment.
Likely Case
Malware or compromised apps silently exfiltrate work contact information, leading to data breaches and privacy violations without user awareness.
If Mitigated
With proper app vetting and security controls, risk is limited to isolated incidents from untrusted apps that manage to bypass initial security checks.
🎯 Exploit Status
Exploitation requires a malicious app to be installed on the device, but no user interaction is needed once installed.
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: December 2025 Android Security Patch or later
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 December 2025 security patch or later. 3. Restart device after installation.
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Disable work profile
androidTemporarily disable work profile feature to prevent exploitation
Settings > Accounts > Work profile > Remove work profile
Restrict app installations
androidOnly install apps from trusted sources like Google Play Store
Settings > Security > Install unknown apps > Disable for all apps
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Implement mobile device management (MDM) with strict app whitelisting policies
- Monitor for suspicious app behavior and network traffic from devices
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Check Android security patch level in Settings > About phone > Android version > Security patch level. If earlier than December 2025, device is vulnerable.Check Version:
adb shell getprop ro.build.version.security_patchVerify Fix Applied:
Verify security patch level shows December 2025 or later after applying update.📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- Unusual access patterns to telephony service APIs
- Multiple failed/successful attempts to access work profile contacts
Network Indicators:
- Unexpected data exfiltration from work profile apps
- Suspicious network connections from telephony-related processes
SIEM Query:
source="android_logs" AND (process="com.android.phone" OR process="telephony") AND (event="contact_access" OR event="work_profile_access")