CVE-2025-48618

Physical privilege escalation via locked-screen browser launch

Published Dec 8, 2025 · Updated Dec 17, 2025

Improper locking in Android 13 through 16 allows physically proximate attackers to escalate privileges through a lockscreen browser launch. CommandParamsFactory.processLaunchBrowser processes a modem-issued SIM Toolkit Launch Browser command while the device is locked instead of rejecting it. Physical access is required, but no prior execution privileges or user interaction is needed; successful exploitation enables browser interaction beyond the lockscreen.

CVSS severity6.6
Medium
EPSS probability0.15%
Next 30 days · Sep 16, 2026
Known exploitationUnconfirmed
Based on sourced intelligence
Hinoki checkNot available
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Summary

What happened

Improper locking in Android 13 through 16 allows physically proximate attackers to escalate privileges through a lockscreen browser launch. CommandParamsFactory.processLaunchBrowser processes a modem-issued SIM Toolkit Launch Browser command while the device is locked instead of rejecting it. Physical access is required, but no prior execution privileges or user interaction is needed; successful exploitation enables browser interaction beyond the lockscreen.

The record

CVE
CVE-2025-48618
Published
Dec 8, 2025
Updated
Dec 17, 2025
Vendor
Google Cloud
Product
Android
Classifications
CWE-667
Attack vector
physical
Privileges
unauthenticated

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=13
  2. Affected versionversion=14
  3. Affected versionversion=15
  4. Affected versionversion=16

What conditions does exploitation require?

Attack vectorphysical
Required privilegesunauthenticated

What is affected?

Google Cloud · Androidversion=13; version=14; version=15; version=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
6.8NIST NVDCVSS:3.1/AV:P/AC:L/PR:N/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 10, 2026Sep 16, 2026
Latest reporting daySep 16, 2026
Latest daily unique IPsUnavailable
Prior 30-day averageUnavailable
SourceShadowserver honeypots (KEV)
Vectorphysical
Privilegesunauthenticated
Known exploitationUnconfirmed
Public exploitUnconfirmed

Weakness, pattern, technique

CWE-667Improper Locking

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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