Security readout for executives and security teams
Plain-English summary
CVE-2025-48543 is a high-impact Android flaw that can let code already running with low privileges escape the Chrome sandbox and reach Android’s system_server. That can give an attacker broad control over device confidentiality, integrity, and availability. CISA lists it in KEV, so treat it as exploited in the wild.
Executive priority
Treat this as an urgent mobile fleet remediation item. CISA KEV status indicates real-world exploitation, and successful exploitation could move from a sandboxed context into a privileged Android system process. Patch availability and device support should drive immediate risk decisions.
Technical view
The issue is a CWE-416 use-after-free in Android, described across multiple locations. It enables local escalation of privilege from the Chrome sandbox to system_server with low privileges and no user interaction. CVSS is 8.8, with changed scope and high confidentiality, integrity, and availability impact.
Likely exposure
Android fleets running Android 13, 14, 15, or 16 before the relevant September 2025 Android security update may be exposed. Exposure depends on OEM and carrier patch delivery. The provided sources do not identify specific device models, Chrome versions, or enterprise configurations that change risk.
Exploitation context
Active exploitation is supported by CISA KEV listing. The public bundle does not provide exploit mechanics, attacker tooling, observed campaigns, or indicators. The vulnerability requires local execution privileges but no user interaction, which raises urgency for already-compromised apps or chained mobile attacks.
Researcher notes
The source bundle supports affected Android versions, CWE-416, CVSS 8.8, and KEV status. It does not provide exploit details, affected device models, or complete remediation nuances beyond the Android bulletin and referenced code change. Avoid assuming browser-only exposure without vendor confirmation.
Mitigation direction
- Apply Android September 2025 security updates or vendor-equivalent OTA patches.
- Prioritize Android 13 through 16 devices in managed fleets.
- Check OEM and carrier guidance for device-specific patch availability.
- Restrict or retire devices that cannot receive the required update.
- Monitor CISA KEV due dates and internal remediation SLAs.
Validation and detection
- Inventory Android devices by OS version and security patch level.
- Confirm patch levels include the September 2025 Android bulletin fix.
- Verify OEM advisories for each managed device family.
- Use MDM compliance policies to flag unpatched Android 13-16 devices.
- Track exceptions for unsupported or delayed-update devices.
Public sources used
Generated from the cited source records. This long-tail analysis has not been individually reviewed by a named human.
Conservative CVE-to-ATT&CK context
These mappings and lookup hints may be relevant to the vulnerability behavior, CWE, affected product, or exposure path. Glexia-inferred context is not an official MITRE, ATT&CK, CWE, or CVE Program mapping.
ATT&CK lookup starting points
Use these exact CWE pages and searches to review the Glexia ATT&CK library from this CVE's weakness and description context.
CWE-416: Exact CWE lookup
Use the exact CWE identifier as the starting point before reviewing related ATT&CK behavior. Open the exact CWE lookup page first, then review the ATT&CK searches from that MITRE weakness context. This is a Glexia lookup hint, not an official ATT&CK mapping.
Open ATT&CK lookupCVE-2025-48543 mapping review
Open the CVE-to-ATT&CK bridge for reviewed, inferred, or future official mappings tied to this CVE.
Open ATT&CK lookup- Severity
- High
- CVSS
- 8.8 (3.1)
- Known Exploited
- Yes
- Published
Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H
CNA and ADP enrichment extracted from CVE v5
These fields come from the CVE record and ADP containers, not from Glexia's Take. They preserve time-varying source decisions such as CISA SSVC, KEV status, CVSS metrics, and provider references.
CISA KEV status
CVSS vector scores
1 official scoreWe collect every scored CVSS vector available in the official CNA and ADP containers. When more than one version is present, the table keeps the source vectors side by side instead of collapsing them into the highest score.
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H26Primary CVE scoreVulnerability scoring details
Base CVSS 3.1 score
8.8HighVector: CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H
Source materials
- CVE List V5 sourceCVE List V5
- https://android.googlesource.com/platform/art/+/444fc40dfb04d2ec5f74c443ed3a4dd45d3131f2CVE reference
- https://source.android.com/security/bulletin/2025-09-01CVE reference
- https://www.cisa.gov/known-exploited-vulnerabilities-catalog?field_cve=CVE-2025-48543CVE reference · government-resource
Products and packages named in the record
CWE details
CWE links open Glexia weakness intelligence pages with official CWE context, developer remediation guidance, and related CVE mappings.
Use After Free
Use After Free represents a recurring weakness pattern that can create exploitable paths when design, validation, or implementation controls are missing.