CVE-2025-48624
📋 TL;DR
This CVE describes an out-of-bounds write vulnerability in the ARM SMMUv3 driver in the Linux kernel. It allows local attackers to escalate privileges without user interaction. Android devices and Linux systems using affected kernel versions are vulnerable.
💻 Affected Systems
- Android
- Linux kernel with ARM SMMUv3 support
📦 What is this software?
Android by Google
⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact
Worst Case
Full system compromise with kernel-level code execution, allowing attackers to bypass all security controls, install persistent malware, or access sensitive data.
Likely Case
Local privilege escalation from unprivileged user to root/kernel privileges, enabling further system exploitation.
If Mitigated
Limited impact if systems have strict SELinux/AppArmor policies, kernel hardening features, and minimal local user access.
🎯 Exploit Status
Requires local access but no authentication. Exploit development requires kernel driver expertise.
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: Kernel patches included in December 2025 Android Security Bulletin
Vendor Advisory: https://source.android.com/security/bulletin/2025-12-01
Restart Required: Yes
Instructions:
1. Apply December 2025 Android Security Bulletin patches. 2. For Linux distributions, update to kernel versions containing commit 0668e45a43398a07c3aa2ae08903097657efd87e. 3. Reboot system after patching.
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Disable vulnerable driver module
linuxUnload or blacklist the arm-smmu-v3 kernel module if not required
rmmod arm_smmu_v3
echo 'blacklist arm_smmu_v3' >> /etc/modprobe.d/blacklist.conf
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Restrict local user access to vulnerable systems
- Implement strict SELinux/AppArmor policies to limit privilege escalation impact
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Check kernel version and if arm-smmu-v3 module is loaded: lsmod | grep arm_smmu_v3Check Version:
uname -rVerify Fix Applied:
Verify kernel version is patched and check for commit 0668e45a43398a07c3aa2ae08903097657efd87e in kernel source📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- Kernel panic logs
- OOM killer activity related to arm-smmu-v3
- Unexpected privilege escalation attempts
Network Indicators:
- None - local exploit only
SIEM Query:
source="kernel" AND ("arm_smmu_v3" OR "out-of-bounds" OR "kernel panic")