Credential theft via default Android task affinity
Published Aug 29, 2025 · Updated Sep 3, 2025
Task hijacking in NCSOFT UNIVERSE 1.0 through 1.3.0 allows local users to capture credentials through a malicious Android app. The AndroidManifest.xml leaves task affinity at the package-name default, allowing a malicious singleTask activity with the same affinity to occupy the task root. Exploitation requires the malicious application to be installed and run on the same Android device; the substituted activity can phish credentials or request permissions.
Summary
What happened
Task hijacking in NCSOFT UNIVERSE 1.0 through 1.3.0 allows local users to capture credentials through a malicious Android app. The AndroidManifest.xml leaves task affinity at the package-name default, allowing a malicious singleTask activity with the same affinity to occupy the task root. Exploitation requires the malicious application to be installed and run on the same Android device; the substituted activity can phish credentials or request permissions.
The record
- CVE
- CVE-2025-9676
- Published
- Aug 29, 2025
- Updated
- Sep 3, 2025
- Vendor
- NCSOFT
- Product
- UNIVERSE
- Classifications
- CWE-926, T1056.002
- Attack vector
- local
- Privileges
- Unavailable
Timeline
How it unfolded
- Aug 29, 2025CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
- Sep 3, 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.
- Affected versionversion=1.0
- Affected versionversion=1.1
- Affected versionversion=1.2
- Affected versionversion=1.3.0
What conditions does exploitation require?
What is affected?
Published CVSS scores
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.
Weakness, pattern, technique
Public exploit references
- UNIVERSE Android task-hijacking proof of conceptproof of concept · demonstrated
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
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