CVE-2025-48599
📋 TL;DR
This vulnerability allows local attackers to bypass device configuration restrictions in Android's WiFi settings due to missing permission checks. It enables local privilege escalation without requiring user interaction or additional execution privileges. Affects Android devices with vulnerable versions of the Settings app.
💻 Affected Systems
- Android Settings app
📦 What is this software?
Android by Google
Android by Google
⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact
Worst Case
Attacker gains elevated system privileges, potentially accessing sensitive device data, modifying system settings, or installing malicious apps without user consent.
Likely Case
Local attacker bypasses WiFi restrictions to access protected network configurations or modify device settings they shouldn't have access to.
If Mitigated
With proper permission checks, only authorized users can modify WiFi scan settings as intended by device policy.
🎯 Exploit Status
Exploitation requires local access but no user interaction. The vulnerability is in the Settings app's permission validation logic.
🛠️ 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. Reboot device after installation.
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Disable Settings app modifications
androidUse Android Device Policy or MDM to restrict Settings app access for untrusted users
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Restrict physical access to devices and implement application whitelisting
- Monitor for suspicious Settings app activity or privilege escalation attempts
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Check Android security patch level in Settings > About phone > Android version. If before 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:
- Unauthorized access attempts to WifiScanModeActivity
- Permission denial logs for Settings app
- Unexpected privilege escalation events
Network Indicators:
- None - this is a local vulnerability
SIEM Query:
source="android_logs" AND (activity="WifiScanModeActivity" OR app="com.android.settings") AND event_type="permission_violation"