Cyber Resilience

CVE-2025-48636

Path Traversal in Google Android 16.0

Published
02 March 2026
Modified
06 March 2026
CVSS Score v3.1 8.4
Click a component to see what it means
Raw vectorCVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
EPSS Score 0.00086 0.4th percentile
Risk Priority 58 floored blend · peak EPSS

Summary

CVE-2025-48636 is a high-severity Path Traversal (CWE-22) vulnerability in Google Android. Its CVSS base score is 8.4 (High).

Operationally, exploitation aligns with the MITRE ATT&CK technique Exploit Public-Facing Application (T1190); ranked at the 0.4th percentile by exploit likelihood (below the median); it is not currently listed in the CISA KEV catalog.

The strongest mitigations our analysis identified map to AC-3 (Access Enforcement) and SI-10 (Information Input Validation) — see the control section below for these in your framework.

Deeper analysis AI-assisted summary

Synthesised by an AI model from the NVD description and linked references — a reading aid, not an authoritative source.

CVE-2025-48636 is a path traversal vulnerability (CWE-22) in the openFile method of BugreportContentProvider.java within Android Wear OS. Published on 2026-03-02, it enables unauthorized reading and writing of files, potentially leading to local escalation of privilege. No additional execution privileges or user interaction are required for exploitation, with a CVSS v3.1 base score of 8.4 (AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H).

A local attacker can exploit this vulnerability due to its low attack complexity and lack of privilege requirements. By leveraging the path traversal flaw, the attacker gains the ability to read sensitive files and overwrite arbitrary ones, resulting in full local privilege escalation and high impacts on confidentiality, integrity, and availability.

The Android Wear OS security bulletin dated 2026-03-01 details patches and mitigation guidance at https://source.android.com/docs/security/bulletin/wear/2026/2026-03-01.

OWASP Top 10 for Web (2025)

EU & UK References

Vulnerability Data

In openFile of BugreportContentProvider.java, there is a possible way to read and write unauthorized files due to a path traversal error. This could lead to local escalation of privilege with no additional execution privileges needed. User interaction is not needed…

more

for exploitation.

CWE(s)

Related Threats

MITRE ATT&CK Enterprise Techniques

T1190 Exploit Public-Facing Application Initial Access
Adversaries may attempt to exploit a weakness in an Internet-facing host or system to initially access a network.
Derived from this CVE’s CWE(s) via the direct CWE→ATT&CK cross-walk.

CVEs Like This One

CVE-2023-20943Same product: Google Android
CVE-2023-21093Same product: Google Android
CVE-2025-48567Same product: Google Android
CVE-2023-30678Same product: Google Android
CVE-2025-14111Same product: Google Android
CVE-2025-13876Same product: Google Android
CVE-2024-49421Same product: Google Android
CVE-2026-3223Same vendor: Google
CVE-2026-4092Same vendor: Google
CVE-2025-1915Same vendor: Google

Affected Assets

google
android
16.0

Mitigating Controls

Control response

Prevent
Stop it (NIST 800-53)

Detect
Catch it (NIST detect / respond)

Harden
Shrink the surface (DISA STIG)

Validate
Prove the fix (OWASP ASVS)
  • V5.3.2

Mitigating Controls (NIST 800-53 r5) AI

Enforces the intended directory access authorizations that path traversal would otherwise bypass.

Input validation directly neutralizes special path elements before pathname construction occurs.

Least privilege reduces the impact of any unauthorized file access obtained via traversal.

Mitigating Controls (NIST CSF 2.0) AI

Derived directly from the weakness types (CWEs) cited in the NVD entry via our AI-authored CWE→CSF cross-walk (authority under review) — links open the control.

PR.PS-02 partial match
prevents

Patching/maintenance can remediate known path-traversal flaws in deployed software (partial prevention of exploitability) but does nothing to stop the coding defect from being introduced in the first place.

PR.AA-05 none match
prevents

PR.AA-05 defines and reviews access policies but does not address code-level pathname neutralization, so neither direction prevents CWE-22.

Mitigating Controls (ISO/IEC 27001:2022 Annex A) AI

Derived directly from the weakness types (CWEs) cited in the NVD entry via our AI-authored CWE→ISO cross-walk (authority under review) — links open the control.

finds

Security testing in development catches path traversal via static/dynamic analysis.

prevents

Secure SDLC mandates input validation and path sanitization that directly prevent path traversal.

prevents

Application security requirements include rules for safe file handling and canonicalization.

prevents

Secure architecture principles require least-privilege file access and directory isolation.

prevents

Secure coding standards explicitly forbid unsafe path construction and mandate safe APIs.

mitigates

Information access restriction limits which files an application may read or write.

References