CVE-2025-26421

Lock-screen bypass via unauthenticated protected-package modification

Published Sep 4, 2025 · Updated Feb 26, 2026

Authentication bypass in the System component of Google Cloud Android 13 through 15 allows local users to access a locked device. The Settings app permits protected packages to be disabled, force-stopped, or stripped of updates without first requiring biometric or lock-screen authentication. Physical access to a locked device is required; exploitation needs no execution privileges or user interaction and exposes only limited device data.

CVSS severity4.0
Medium
EPSS probability0.10%
Next 30 days · Sep 16, 2026
Known exploitationUnconfirmed
Based on sourced intelligence
Hinoki checkNot available
Coverage for this vulnerability

See if you're affected

Explore vulnerability checks for your environment with Hinoki.

Book a demo

Summary

What happened

Authentication bypass in the System component of Google Cloud Android 13 through 15 allows local users to access a locked device. The Settings app permits protected packages to be disabled, force-stopped, or stripped of updates without first requiring biometric or lock-screen authentication. Physical access to a locked device is required; exploitation needs no execution privileges or user interaction and exposes only limited device data.

The record

CVE
CVE-2025-26421
Published
Sep 4, 2025
Updated
Feb 26, 2026
Vendor
Google Cloud
Product
Android
Classifications
CWE-290, T1461
Attack vector
local
Privileges
unauthenticated

Timeline

How it unfolded

  1. Sep 4, 2025CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
  2. Feb 26, 2026Record updatedLatest update available in the CVE record.

Exploitability

Present is not the same as exploitable

Compare your product and version with the public record. A matching version still requires validation against your environment.

Is a vulnerable build present?

Compare these published version ranges with your installed build and any vendor patches.

  1. Affected versionversion=13
  2. Affected versionversion=14
  3. Affected versionversion=15

What conditions does exploitation require?

Attack vectorlocal
Required privilegesunauthenticated

What is affected?

Google Cloud · Androidversion=13; version=14; version=15

Published CVSS scores

4.0NVDCVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:N/A:N

CVSS describes severity. EPSS estimates exploitation probability.

Attacks

What attackers are doing with it

Daily unique IPs observed by Shadowserver honeypots for known exploited vulnerabilities (KEVs). Missing observations do not establish an absence of attacks.

Daily unique IPsNo honeypot observations are available for this CVE in the selected window.

No observations available

Sep 9, 2026Sep 15, 2026
Latest reporting daySep 15, 2026
Latest daily unique IPsUnavailable
Prior 30-day averageUnavailable
SourceShadowserver honeypots (KEV)
Vectorlocal
Privilegesunauthenticated
Known exploitationUnconfirmed
Public exploitUnconfirmed

Weakness, pattern, technique

CWE-290Authentication Bypass by Spoofing
T1461Lockscreen Bypass

Public exploit references

No public exploit references are available in this record.

Labels summarize the accepted research assessment. They do not indicate a test against your environment.

Technologies

Your stack

See the directory against your own environment.

Your stack

Check the software in your environment

Book a demo to see how Hinoki identifies affected software and validates exploitability in your environment.

Book a demo