CVE-2025-48654
Google Android 16.0
Raw vector
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:HSummary
CVE-2025-48654 is a high-severity Externally Controlled Reference to a Resource in Another Sphere (CWE-610) vulnerability in Google Android. Its CVSS base score is 7.8 (High).
Operationally, exploitation aligns with the MITRE ATT&CK technique Data from Local System (T1005); ranked at the 0.9th 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 AC-4 (Information Flow Enforcement) — 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-2025-48654 is a logic error in the onStart method of CompanionDeviceManagerService.java within Android, resulting in a confused deputy vulnerability. This flaw enables local escalation of privilege without requiring additional execution privileges or user interaction, as detailed in its description published on 2026-03-02. The issue is associated with CWEs NVD-CWE-noinfo and CWE-610, and carries a CVSS v3.1 base score of 7.8 (AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H).
A local attacker with low privileges, such as one running a malicious app on the device, can exploit this vulnerability due to its low attack complexity and lack of need for user interaction. Exploitation allows the attacker to achieve high impacts on confidentiality, integrity, and availability, potentially elevating privileges to compromise the system more broadly.
The Android security bulletin at https://source.android.com/docs/security/bulletin/2026/2026-03-01 addresses this vulnerability, providing information on available patches and mitigation steps.
OWASP Top 10 for Web (2025)
EU & UK References
- 🇪🇺 ENISA EUVD: EUVD-2025-208223
Vulnerability Data
In onStart of CompanionDeviceManagerService.java, there is a possible confused deputy due to a logic error in the code. This could lead to local escalation of privilege with no additional execution privileges needed. User interaction is not needed for exploitation.
- CWE(s)
Related Threats
MITRE ATT&CK Enterprise Techniques
CVEs Like This One
Affected Assets
Mitigating Controls
Control response
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- 3 hardening rules · 2 OS baselines
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Mitigating Controls (NIST 800-53 r5) AI
Enforces access authorizations so externally supplied references cannot reach resources outside the intended sphere.
Controls information flow between security domains, blocking resolution of external references to unintended spheres.
Validates information inputs, directly stopping externally controlled names or references from being accepted.
Monitors and controls boundary communications, limiting the ability of external references to reach protected resources.
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.
Secure development practices directly require input validation and reference sanitization that prevent externally-controlled resource references.
Runtime monitoring of software and data flows can detect anomalous external resource accesses that result from this weakness.
Network segmentation and access controls limit the blast radius when an external reference escapes its intended sphere.
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.
Security testing can detect instances of the weakness but does not prevent it at design or coding time.
Secure development lifecycle mandates validation of all external references to prevent uncontrolled resource access.
Application security requirements explicitly call for controls against externally supplied resource identifiers.
Secure architecture principles reduce the attack surface for externally controlled references but do not prescribe specific validation rules.
Secure coding standards require input validation and canonicalization to block externally controlled resource references.
Information access restriction limits what resources can be reached, indirectly reducing impact of external references.
Hardening callouts derived
Configuration rules from DISA STIG baselines that bear on weaknesses of the type cited by this CVE. Each rule is shown with the relationship its mapping actually records, against the CWE it was authored against. Derived via CVE→CWE over `controls_xwalks` (authoritative rows only; rows rated `none` are excluded).
Oracle Linux 8 (1 rule)
- V-248577 OL 8 must enable kernel parameters to enforce Discretionary Access Control (DAC) on symlinks. prevents CWE-610