CVE-2025-48595

What is Android Framework?

Android Framework is the set of APIs and system services that applications interact with on every Android device — it handles process lifecycle, inter-process communication (IPC), permissions enforcement, UI rendering, and access to hardware resources. Because Framework code runs at elevated privilege and is reachable from any installed application, a vulnerability at this layer can grant an attacker system-level control of the device. Android Framework is present on billions of phones, tablets, and embedded devices running Android 14 and later.

Overview

CVE-2025-48595 is a local privilege escalation vulnerability in the Android Framework caused by an integer overflow in multiple code locations (Android bug ID A-430889718). An installed malicious application can trigger the overflow without requiring any user permissions or interaction — the calculation produces an incorrect result that leads to memory corruption and subsequent arbitrary code execution at a higher privilege level.

Google confirmed limited, targeted exploitation in the wild when the June 2026 Android Security Bulletin was published, and the CVE was added to the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog the following day. The coordinated disclosure window lasted approximately nine months; GrapheneOS received advance notice and shipped patches roughly in September 2025.

Affected Versions

Security patch level 2026-06-05 closes all related kernel and chipset subcomponents in addition to the Framework fix.

Technical Details

Root cause — integer overflow in multiple Framework locations (CWE-190)

The Android Security Bulletin describes the flaw as occurring "in multiple locations" within the Framework layer where integer arithmetic is performed without adequate bounds checking. When a sufficiently large or specially crafted input is provided, the calculation overflows from its integer type, wrapping to a small or zero value. The downstream code uses this corrupted result for memory operations — likely a buffer allocation, array index, or size comparison — enabling out-of-bounds writes and ultimately code execution.

Google withheld the specific subcomponent (e.g., ActivityManager, PackageManager, Binder IPC) and the exact overflowing operation to limit exploitation by actors who did not already possess the vulnerability. The CVSS scoring reflects the attack characteristics:

• AV:L (Local) — the attacker must have a locally installed malicious application; this is not a remote or zero-click exploit
• PR:N (No privileges required) — a normal, unprivileged app can trigger the overflow without first requesting elevated permissions
• UI:N (No user interaction) — once the app is installed and the device is unlocked, no further user action is required to execute the exploit
• AC:L (Low complexity) — exploitation is reliable and does not depend on race conditions or environmental factors

Discovery

The reporter has not been publicly credited. Google's June 2026 bulletin notes confirmed active exploitation, implying discovery came through threat intelligence rather than external researcher disclosure. GrapheneOS — a hardened Android distribution — reportedly received coordinated disclosure approximately nine months before the public bulletin in September 2025 and shipped a patch ahead of Google's public release.

Exploitation Context

Google's official statement confirmed that CVE-2025-48595 "may be under limited, targeted exploitation" — standard phrasing indicating confirmed but narrow in-the-wild use. The pattern is consistent with commercial surveillance vendors (spyware operators) or nation-state actors targeting high-value individuals such as journalists, activists, dissidents, and government officials rather than broad opportunistic campaigns.

CVE-2025-48595 is the fourth Android zero-day patched since December 2025, reflecting an active market for Android Framework exploits among sophisticated threat actors willing to invest in the long coordinated-disclosure window. The nine-month gap between discovery and public patch gives defenders with automatic updates applied on or after 2026-06-01 meaningful protection, but devices running older security patch levels remain exposed.

Remediation

1. Apply the June 2026 security update — update to security patch level 2026-06-01 or later; verify under Settings → About phone → Android security update
2. Apply the 2026-06-05 patch level for complete coverage including kernel and chipset fixes from the same bulletin
3. Enable automatic system updates — Settings → System → System update → automatic update schedule
4. Restrict app installs to trusted sources — disable "Install unknown apps" to reduce the attack surface; the exploit requires a locally installed malicious application as the entry point
5. Review app permissions and recently installed apps — remove unfamiliar or low-reputation applications that could serve as delivery vehicles
6. Deploy mobile device management (MDM) policies for enterprise devices — enforce patch level requirements and restrict sideloading
7. Prioritize devices belonging to high-risk individuals (journalists, government staff, executives) given the targeted exploitation profile