Overview
CVE-2025-22433 is a critical vulnerability that originates in the canForward function of IntentForwarderActivity.java. This flaw can lead to the bypassing of the cross profile intent filter, which is most frequently employed in Work Profile scenarios. The exploit of this vulnerability could result in local privilege escalation without the need for additional execution privileges, potentially compromising the system or leading to data leakage. It is especially concerning as it does not require user interaction for exploitation.
Vulnerability Summary
CVE ID: CVE-2025-22433
Severity: High – CVSS 7.8
Attack Vector: Local
Privileges Required: None
User Interaction: None
Impact: Potential system compromise or data leakage
Affected Products
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Product | Affected Versions
Android OS | 10.0, 11.0, 12.0
How the Exploit Works
The vulnerability lies in the logic error in the canForward method of IntentForwarderActivity.java. This error allows the bypass of the cross profile intent filter, which is generally employed to prevent the sending of intents from the personal profile to the work profile and vice versa. An attacker could exploit this flaw to escalate privileges locally, without needing additional execution privileges. As this vulnerability does not require user interaction, it can be exploited silently, potentially leading to system compromise or data leakage.
Conceptual Example Code
// Pseudo-code representation of the vulnerability exploitation
// Create Intent with target component in work profile
Intent forwardIntent = new Intent();
forwardIntent.setClassName("com.target.app", "com.target.app.TargetActivity");
// Bypass the cross profile intent filter due to logic error in canForward()
if (canForward(forwardIntent)) {
// Send the Intent, leading to privilege escalation
startActivity(forwardIntent);
}Mitigation
To mitigate this vulnerability, it is recommended to apply the vendor patch as soon as it is available. Until the patch is applied, using a Web Application Firewall (WAF) or Intrusion Detection System (IDS) can serve as a temporary mitigation measure. However, these should not be considered as complete fixes, but rather as temporary solutions until the patch can be applied.
