AndroidOperating system · Google

CVE-2025-36899

HIGH · 8.4 CVSS v3.1 Published 2025-09-04
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
89/100
Remediation priority · High
No privileges Zero-click

Official description Straight from the sourceThe vendor's or NVD's own wording, published unedited. Authoritative, but often terse — it says what broke, rarely what to do.

NVD · unedited
There is a possible escalation of privilege due to test/debugging code left in a production build. This could lead to physical escalation of privilege with no additional execution privileges needed. User interaction is not needed for exploitation.

Technical summary Written by usOur analysis, written from the advisory, the CVSS vector and the affected-version data. It adds context the advisory leaves out, and never invents facts that are not in the source.

dbcve analysis · moderate confidence

This vulnerability exists because test or debugging code was inadvertently left in the production build. The debug code allows an attacker with physical access to escalate privileges without needing any additional execution privileges or user interaction, as the debug functionality provides elevated access or capabilities.

MitigationRemove all test/debugging code from production builds by implementing proper build configurations that exclude debug features, conducting code reviews to identify residual test code, and using release build profiles that strip all development-only functionality.

Verify against the referenced sources before acting — the references below are authoritative for this CVE, this summary is not.

Affected products & versions What the vendor confirmedThe version ranges the vendor confirmed as vulnerable. If your version sits inside a range here, treat yourself as exposed until you have upgraded.

NVD · CPE data
AndroidOperating system
Affected:all versions

CVSS breakdown How the score is builtThe industry scoring standard. It rates how the flaw is reached, what it takes to exploit, and what an attacker gains — the score is derived from those, not the other way round.

From the vector
Attack vector
Local
Complexity
Low
Privileges
None
User interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

Am I affected? How to checkSteps we derive from the advisory and the affected-version data, so you can decide whether this CVE reaches your setup. They are a guide, not a scan — your own configuration is the authority.

dbcve checks

Work through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.

  1. Check the Android build type
    Run 'getprop ro.build.type' or check Settings > About Phone > Build Number. A 'userdebug' build contains debug features, while 'user' is the production build.
    Affected if The build type is 'userdebug' rather than 'user', indicating debug code is present in the build.
  2. Verify USB debugging status
    On the device, go to Settings > Developer Options > USB Debugging. Also run 'getprop persist.sys.usb.config' via ADB or terminal.
    Affected if USB debugging is enabled, as this debug feature could be exploited for physical access privilege escalation.
  3. Check if the build is debuggable
    Run 'getprop ro.debuggable' in a terminal or via ADB shell. Values of '1' indicate the system allows debugging and debug code is active.
    Affected if The ro.debuggable property returns '1', meaning debug functionality is accessible.
  4. Examine the build fingerprint for debug indicators
    Run 'getprop ro.build.fingerprint' and look for keywords like 'eng', 'test', 'debug', or 'userdebug' in the string.
    Affected if The fingerprint contains 'eng', 'test', or 'userdebug', confirming this is not a production build.
  5. Check for test keys in the firmware
    Run 'getprop ro.build.tags' and verify if it shows 'test-keys' instead of 'release-keys', or inspect the /system/etc/security/otacert file.
    Affected if The build uses 'test-keys' or lacks proper release signing, indicating a development build.

A user is affected if their Android device runs a 'userdebug' or 'eng' build, has USB debugging enabled, returns '1' for ro.debuggable, or uses test keys, as any of these indicate debug code is present that could enable physical privilege escalation.

Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.

Check your environment

Paste your version and any relevant configuration and it will be compared against the affected criteria above. Do not include secrets or credentials.

AI-assisted, checked against the advisory. Informational, not a guarantee.

Remediation Closing itWhat it takes to close this. Where a vendor fix exists we point at it; where none exists we say so plainly, and can build one. Effort estimates are scoped from the advisory, not from your codebase.

From vendor data
Mitigation available No clean upgrade yet — mitigate in the meantime
Mitigation

Remove all test/debugging code from production builds by implementing proper build configurations that exclude debug features, conducting code reviews to identify residual test code, and using release build profiles that strip all development-only functionality.

Fix this in Android Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation4.0 h
  • Implementation6.0 h
  • Testing4.0 h
  • Review / QA3.0 h
17.0 hours of engineering $3,020
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Scan for this in your stack

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References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.

Primary sources

Practitioner notes

Contributed

Peer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2025-36899 in production — separate from our analysis above.

No notes yet

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What this is

A place for practitioners to share what actually worked: a mitigation you’ve tested, a configuration change, a version- or environment-specific caveat, or a link to a verified patch. The most useful notes rise to the top as peers upvote them, so the signal stays high.

What belongs here
  • Verified mitigations, workarounds, and config changes
  • Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
  • No weaponised exploit code, or anything meant to cause harm
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