CVE-2025-48598

Physical privilege escalation via unchecked user-ID extra

Published Dec 8, 2025 · Updated Dec 17, 2025

Confused-deputy behavior in Android 16 Settings allows physically proximate attackers to alter the primary user's face unlock settings. Face enrollment activities accepted an externally supplied EXTRA_USER_ID and forwarded it through an internal trampoline without verifying the launching package. Physical access and low privileges are required, but no user interaction is needed; the altered biometric configuration enables privilege escalation.

CVSS severity6.6
Medium
EPSS probability0.11%
Next 30 days · Sep 16, 2026
Known exploitationUnconfirmed
Based on sourced intelligence
Hinoki checkNot available
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Summary

What happened

Confused-deputy behavior in Android 16 Settings allows physically proximate attackers to alter the primary user's face unlock settings. Face enrollment activities accepted an externally supplied EXTRA_USER_ID and forwarded it through an internal trampoline without verifying the launching package. Physical access and low privileges are required, but no user interaction is needed; the altered biometric configuration enables privilege escalation.

The record

CVE
CVE-2025-48598
Published
Dec 8, 2025
Updated
Dec 17, 2025
Vendor
Google Cloud
Product
Android
Classifications
CWE-441, CWE-610, T1098
Attack vector
physical
Privileges
authenticated

Timeline

How it unfolded

  1. Dec 8, 2025CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
  2. Dec 17, 2025Record 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=16

What conditions does exploitation require?

Attack vectorphysical
Required privilegesauthenticated

What is affected?

Google Cloud · Androidversion=16

Published CVSS scores

6.6CISA-ADPCVSS:3.1/AV:P/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
6.6NIST NVDCVSS:3.1/AV:P/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)
Vectorphysical
Privilegesauthenticated
Known exploitationUnconfirmed
Public exploitUnconfirmed

Weakness, pattern, technique

CWE-441Unintended Proxy or Intermediary ('Confused Deputy')
CWE-610Externally Controlled Reference to a Resource in Another Sphere
T1098Account Manipulation

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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