CVE-2025-48608
📋 TL;DR
This vulnerability allows any app on an Android device to read media files from other user profiles without proper permission checks, leading to unauthorized access to photos, videos, or audio files. It affects Android devices running vulnerable versions, requiring no user interaction or special privileges for exploitation.
💻 Affected Systems
- Android
📦 What is this software?
Android by Google
⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact
Worst Case
Complete cross-user media file disclosure allowing apps to access sensitive photos, videos, or documents from other user profiles on the same device.
Likely Case
Unauthorized access to media files from other user profiles, potentially exposing personal photos, videos, or sensitive documents.
If Mitigated
Limited impact with proper app sandboxing and user profile isolation preventing cross-user data access.
🎯 Exploit Status
No user interaction required, but requires a malicious app to be installed on the device.
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: Android 16 QPR2 security update or later
Vendor Advisory: https://source.android.com/security/bulletin/android-16-qpr2
Restart Required: Yes
Instructions:
1. Check for Android system updates in Settings > System > System update. 2. Install the latest security update. 3. Restart the device after installation.
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Restrict app installations
androidOnly install apps from trusted sources like Google Play Store and avoid sideloading unknown apps.
Use separate devices for sensitive profiles
allFor highly sensitive data, use separate physical devices rather than multiple user profiles on the same device.
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Monitor for suspicious app behavior and unusual media access patterns
- Consider disabling or limiting multi-user functionality if not required
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Check Android version in Settings > About phone > Android version. If running Android 16 QPR2 without security updates, device is vulnerable.Check Version:
Settings > About phone > Android versionVerify Fix Applied:
Verify Android security patch level in Settings > About phone > Android version. Ensure patch level includes December 2025 or later security updates.📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- Unusual media access patterns across user profiles
- Apps accessing media URIs without proper permissions
Network Indicators:
- None - this is a local vulnerability
SIEM Query:
Not applicable for typical SIEM monitoring as this is a local device vulnerability