Overview
A critical vulnerability, recognized as CVE-2025-36901, has been discovered in the WLAN component of Android operating systems in Google Pixel devices. This vulnerability is severe as it permits a malicious attacker to escalate privileges, potentially leading to a full system compromise or data leakage. Given the popularity of Android and Google Pixel devices, this flaw could affect a vast user base worldwide. Therefore, understanding the nature of this vulnerability and implementing the necessary countermeasures becomes a matter of utmost urgency to protect against potential exploitation.
Vulnerability Summary
CVE ID: CVE-2025-36901
Severity: Critical, CVSS Score 8.8
Attack Vector: Network
Privileges Required: None
User Interaction: Required
Impact: Possible system compromise and data leakage
Affected Products
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Product | Affected Versions
Android | Before 2025-09-05
Google Pixel | All versions
How the Exploit Works
The CVE-2025-36901 vulnerability exists due to insufficient security restrictions within the WLAN component of the Android operating system. This flaw allows an attacker within the same network to manipulate network packets to gain elevated privileges on the target device. The attacker could then potentially access sensitive information, modify system settings, or execute arbitrary code, resulting in a potential system compromise or data leakage.
Conceptual Example Code
A conceptual example of how this vulnerability might be exploited could involve an attacker sending a specially crafted network packet to the vulnerable device. The attacker may utilize a malicious payload to trigger the flaw and escalate privileges on the target system. Here is an illustrative example using a network packet:
POST /vulnerable/endpoint HTTP/1.1
Host: target.example.com
Content-Type: application/json
{ "malicious_payload": "Exploit_Code_Here" }Please note that this is a conceptual representation of the exploit and not an actual exploit code.
Mitigation Guidance
Users are strongly advised to apply the patch provided by the vendor as soon as possible. In the absence of a patch, or if immediate patching is not feasible, using a Web Application Firewall (WAF) or Intrusion Detection System (IDS) can serve as temporary mitigation to prevent potential attacks. However, these measures do not provide a complete solution and are not a substitute for patching the system. Regular updating and patching are the most effective ways to protect against such vulnerabilities.
