CVE-2025-48588

Local privilege escalation via safe-mode VPN reset

Published Dec 8, 2025 · Updated Feb 26, 2026

Local privilege escalation in Google Cloud Android 13 through 15 allows local users to disable an always-on VPN without user interaction. Vpn.startAlwaysOnVpn treats a third-party VPN with limited safe-mode functionality as unsupported and resets its always-on setting. A low-privileged local app can reach the path during safe mode, removing enforced VPN protection and allowing traffic to bypass it.

CVSS severity7.8
High
EPSS probability0.09%
Next 30 days · Sep 16, 2026
Known exploitationUnconfirmed
Based on sourced intelligence
Hinoki checkNot available
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Summary

What happened

Local privilege escalation in Google Cloud Android 13 through 15 allows local users to disable an always-on VPN without user interaction. Vpn.startAlwaysOnVpn treats a third-party VPN with limited safe-mode functionality as unsupported and resets its always-on setting. A low-privileged local app can reach the path during safe mode, removing enforced VPN protection and allowing traffic to bypass it.

The record

CVE
CVE-2025-48588
Published
Dec 8, 2025
Updated
Feb 26, 2026
Vendor
Google Cloud
Product
Android
Classifications
T1562.001
Attack vector
local
Privileges
authenticated

Timeline

How it unfolded

  1. Dec 8, 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

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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 privilegesauthenticated

What is affected?

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

Published CVSS scores

7.8CISA-ADPCVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

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.

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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
Privilegesauthenticated
Known exploitationUnconfirmed
Public exploitUnconfirmed

Weakness, pattern, technique

T1562.001Impair Defenses: Disable or Modify Tools

Public exploit references

No public exploit references are available in this record.

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Technologies

Your stack

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Your stack

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