CVE-2025-48595 is an integer overflow vulnerability in Android Framework. CISA added it to the Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalogue on 2 June 2026, which means attackers have used it in real attacks. Android Framework contains an integer overflow vulnerability that allows for code execution that could allow for local privilege escalation.
What an integer overflow means in Android Framework
An integer overflow in a core platform component is dangerous because arithmetic can wrap or truncate in ways the developer did not intend, changing lengths, offsets, counts, or allocation decisions. In Android Framework, that can turn an ordinary parsing or processing path into a memory safety and control-flow problem.
For readers tracking software weakness classes, the root issue is not the product name but the weakness pattern itself. The CWE Top 25 Guide is useful here because it places integer overflow and related numeric errors in the broader family of dangerous implementation weaknesses that often become exploitable once they reach security-critical code.
Why this vulnerability can lead to code execution
Integer overflow becomes especially serious when the affected code later uses the corrupted value to size memory, validate bounds, or decide how much data to copy. In a framework layer, that can affect many downstream apps and services, so a single weakness may be reachable through multiple inputs and repeated at scale.
That is why exploitation often looks less like a simple crash and more like a chain from malformed input to memory corruption to execution. For a practitioner-facing model of how exploitable weaknesses are prioritized and tracked, the NIST National Vulnerability Database and the CVE Program are the authoritative starting points for record structure and vulnerability identity.
How organisations assess exposure and remediate it
Exposure assessment starts with knowing which Android versions, device classes, and managed endpoints are in scope, then checking whether the vendor has issued a fix or mitigation for the exact vulnerability record. For a KEV-listed issue, the practical question is not just “is the device patched?” but “is the vulnerable framework present anywhere that can still be reached or abused?”
When a patch cannot be rolled out immediately, organisations should reduce attack surface by limiting internet exposure of affected devices, tightening administrative access, and prioritising high-value endpoints first. The Vulnerability Management Guide is a useful operational companion because it frames this as an asset-scope, KEV-prioritised remediation problem rather than a generic patching exercise.
For the same reason, post-remediation validation matters: confirm the vulnerable build is gone, confirm compensating controls remain in place, and confirm the device is no longer a viable entry point for privilege escalation.
Detection, compromise review, and identity impact
Because CISA added this CVE to KEV, defenders should assume real-world abuse is plausible and review for signs that the exploit path was already used before patching. Detection should focus on anomalous framework-triggered crashes, unusual process spawning, suspicious app behaviour after a parser or media-style interaction, and any follow-on privilege changes that do not fit normal device use.
If exploitation succeeded, the impact is often less about the integer overflow itself and more about what the attacker can do next with elevated execution on the device. That can include access to user data, tokens, active sessions, and any enterprise services reachable from the compromised endpoint, so compromise review should include credential and session hygiene where those assets were present on the device.
For defensive threat mapping, MITRE ATT&CK Enterprise Matrix helps teams map post-exploitation activity such as privilege escalation, persistence, and lateral movement once code execution has been achieved.
Risk and Threat Considerations
This kind of Android Framework flaw is risky because a successful exploit can turn a widely deployed mobile platform component into a privilege-escalation foothold. Once attackers gain local execution, the next stage is often to steal data, abuse trusted app context, or chain the foothold into broader device or enterprise access.
Failure mechanism: The arithmetic overflow corrupts a value that later drives memory allocation, bounds checking, or copy length, allowing memory corruption and eventual code execution.
Impact: Attackers can move from a single malformed input to local privilege escalation, which may expose secrets, sessions, or other sensitive device-held material.
Standards & Framework Alignment
This section maps relevant standards and security frameworks to the operational risks and controls described in this guidance.
MITRE ATT&CK addresses the attack and risk surface, while CIS Controls v8, NIST CSF 2.0 and NIST SP 800-53 Rev 5 set the governance and control requirements practitioners need to meet.
| Framework | Control / Reference | Relevance |
|---|---|---|
| CIS Controls v8 | CIS-7 — Continuous Vulnerability Management | KEV-listed vulnerabilities require fast inventory, prioritisation, and remediation tracking |
| Recommendation — Track exposed Android assets, prioritise KEV-listed flaws, and verify remediation completion. | ||
| NIST CSF 2.0 | DE.CM-01 — Networks and environments are monitored to detect potential cybersecurity events | Detection of exploitation and post-patch compromise depends on continuous monitoring |
| Recommendation — Monitor mobile endpoints for exploit symptoms and follow-on privilege abuse. | ||
| NIST SP 800-53 Rev 5 | SI-10 — Information Input Validation | Integer overflow is prevented and detected through robust input and bounds validation |
| Recommendation — Validate numeric inputs and enforce safe bounds before arithmetic affects memory operations. | ||
| MITRE ATT&CK | T1068 — Exploitation for Privilege Escalation | The vulnerability enables local privilege escalation through exploitation |
| Recommendation — Map exploit telemetry to privilege-escalation techniques and hunt for post-exploitation activity. | ||
Practitioner Guidance
What to watch for: Treat a KEV-listed platform vulnerability as a time-sensitive exposure, not a routine software defect. The priority is to identify every affected Android estate, confirm whether the vulnerable framework is reachable on managed devices, and verify that remediation has actually removed the attack path.
Governance implication: Android framework issues deserve coordinated owner assignment across endpoint security, mobile device management, and vulnerability management teams because exploitation consequences often extend beyond a single handset into enterprise authentication and data access.
Practitioner takeaway: For exploited platform flaws, patch status alone is not enough, review exposure, assume possible pre-patch abuse, and verify whether any credentials or sessions on the device need rotation.
Related resources from NHI Mgmt Group
- CVE-2025-20333 (Cisco Secure Firewall Adaptive Security Appliance (ASA) and Secure Firewall Threat Defense (FTD) Buffer Overflow)
- CVE-2025-25249 (Fortinet Multiple Products Heap-based Buffer Overflow)
- What do security teams get wrong about integer overflow in checkout systems?
- What breaks when MongoDB servers are left exposed to unauthenticated compression flaws like CVE-2025-14847?