CVE-2025-48628
📋 TL;DR
This vulnerability allows a malicious app to access images from other user profiles on the same Android device without proper authorization. It affects Android devices with multiple user profiles enabled, potentially exposing sensitive user data across profiles.
💻 Affected Systems
- Android
📦 What is this software?
Android by Google
Android by Google
Android by Google
Android by Google
⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact
Worst Case
An attacker could access sensitive images from other user profiles, potentially including private photos, screenshots, or documents, leading to data leakage and privacy violations.
Likely Case
Malicious apps could harvest images from other user profiles for surveillance, blackmail, or data theft purposes.
If Mitigated
With proper app sandboxing and user profile isolation, the impact is limited to apps that have already been installed and granted permissions.
🎯 Exploit Status
Exploitation requires a malicious app to be installed on the device. No user interaction is needed once the app is installed.
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: Android December 2025 security patch or later
Vendor Advisory: https://source.android.com/security/bulletin/2025-12-01
Restart Required: Yes
Instructions:
1. Check for system updates in Settings > System > System update. 2. Install the December 2025 Android security patch. 3. Reboot the device after installation.
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Disable Multiple User Profiles
androidRemove additional user profiles to eliminate the attack surface
Settings > System > Multiple users > Remove user profiles
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
- Disable multiple user profiles on the device
- Implement strict app installation policies and only allow trusted applications
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Check Android security patch level in Settings > About phone > Android version > Security patch level. If before 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 cross-user file access attempts in system logs
- PrintManagerService exceptions related to icon validation
Network Indicators:
- None - this is a local vulnerability
SIEM Query:
source="android_system" AND ("PrintManagerService" OR "validateIconUserBoundary") AND (error OR exception)