Local privilege escalation in Android Kernel pKVM mem_protect.c
CVE-2025-48637 is a critical elevation-of-privilege vulnerability in the Android kernel's protected KVM (pKVM) component. According to the provided bulletin text, multiple functions in mem_protect.c contain an integer overflow that can result in an out-of-bounds write. This memory corruption condition can be triggered locally and may allow an attacker to break intended memory-safety guarantees within the pKVM subsystem. Because pKVM is used to enforce isolation of sensitive code and data on Android devices, corruption in this area can undermine core security boundaries. The issue does not require user interaction and is described as exploitable without additional execution privileges.
Are you exposed to this one?
Mallory correlates every CVE against your assets, your vendors, and active adversary campaigns. Know which vulnerabilities matter for you, not just which ones are loud.
Impact, mitigation & remediation
What it means. What to do now. Patch path, mitigations, and the assume-compromise checklist.
Impact
What an attacker gets, and what they’ve been doing with it.
Mitigation
If you can’t patch tonight, do this now.
Remediation
Patch, then assume compromise.
Exploits
No public exploits tracked yet. Mallory keeps watching.
No public exploit code observed for this vulnerability.
Affected products & vendors
Products and vendors Mallory has correlated with this vulnerability. Open in Mallory to drill down to specific CPE configurations and version ranges.
Vendor-confirmed product mapping. Mallory continuously reconciles this list against your asset inventory.
Recent activity
9 sources tracked across advisories, community write-ups, and news. New activity surfaces here as Mallory finds it.
Critical kernel-level elevation-of-privilege vulnerability in Android affecting protected KVM (pKVM), weakening isolation/virtualization guarantees if exploited.
Critical local elevation-of-privilege vulnerability in the kernel pKVM subcomponent (as described), addressed in the 2025-12-05 patch level via upstream kernel patches.
A critical elevation-of-privilege vulnerability in the Android Kernel's Protected KVM (PKVM) subsystem.
A critical local escalation of privilege vulnerability in the pKVM subcomponent of the Android kernel.
The version that knows your environment.
Query your assets running an affected version, and investigate the blast radius.
Every observed campaign linking this CVE to a named adversary.
Malware families riding this exploit, with evidence and IOCs.
YARA, Sigma, Snort, and vendor rules, auto-deployed to your SIEM.
Cross-references every affected SKU, including bundled OEM variants.
Community discussion across Reddit, Mastodon, and other social sources.