Google Pixel Kernel
CVE-2025-36922
MEDIUM
Attack ChainAIDerived
Hypothetical attack flow derived from CVE metadata – not a confirmed exploit chain
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AccessObtain System-level execution on device
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DeliveryInvoke bigo_map IOMMU codec path
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ExploitTrigger use-after-free on freed object
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ExecutionReclaim/leak kernel memory
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ImpactEscalate to OS kernel execution
Vulnerability Assessment
| Weakness |
CWE
ASVS 5.0
V15 - Secure Coding and Architecture Memory lifecycle management
MITRE ATT&CK
2 techniques across 2 tactics: Execution, Privilege Escalation The technique list with ATT&CK links and the kill-chain view is part of the Basic plan and up. |
| Exploitation Conditions | Requires the attacker to already possess System execution privileges on the device (PR:H) and local access (AV:L); there is no remote or network vector and no user interaction is needed. Exploitation specifically requires reaching the bigo_map routine in the BIGO video-codec IOMMU driver (bigo_iommu.c), which is a Pixel/Tensor-specific kernel component - so the flaw is limited to Google Pixel / Tensor devices carrying that driver, not to generic Android handsets. The dominant limiting factor is the high pre-existing privilege requirement, which confines this to the post-exploitation/privilege-escalation stage of a chain. |
| Impact | Real-world risk is moderate-to-low despite the memory-corruption class. The provided CVSS 3.1 vector (AV:L/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H = 6.7) is internally consistent with the description: exploitation is LOCAL (AV:L) and, per the text, requires 'System execution privileges' - matching PR:H, meaning the attacker must already hold the highly-privileged System identity before triggering the use-after-free. This is a privilege-boundary crossing from System to OS Kernel, not an initial-access bug. EPSS is 0.08% (0th percentile), there is no CISA KEV listing and no public POC, so this is best described as no public exploit identified at time of analysis, with no evidence of active exploitation. No signals conflict: EPSS, KEV-absence, and the local/high-priv vector all point the same way. The residual value to an attacker is real (kernel-level code execution is a common final link in Android exploit chains), but the high starting-privilege requirement and local-only vector keep aggregate risk well below the 6.7 headline. Note the CWE is CWE-416 (use-after-free) while the primary described outcome is information disclosure that then enables EoP - the C:H/I:H/A:H rating reflects the eventual kernel compromise, not the initial info leak alone. |
| Exploit ScenarioDerived | An attacker who has already gained System-privileged code execution on a Pixel/Tensor device (e.g., via a compromised system service or a chained earlier bug) invokes the BIGO video-codec IOMMU path in bigo_iommu.c to trigger the use-after-free in bigo_map. By reclaiming the freed object they leak kernel memory and corrupt kernel structures, escalating from System to full OS-kernel execution without any user interaction. No public exploit code is known to exist for this issue at time of analysis. |
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Alert meAnalysisAIv1 – Sep 30, 2026
Local privilege escalation and information disclosure in the BIGO IOMMU driver of the Google Pixel/Tensor kernel arise from a use-after-free in bigo_map() (bigo_iommu.c) that lets an attacker who already holds System execution privileges read reclaimed kernel memory or corrupt kernel state. The CVSS:3.1 vector AV:L/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H confirms local access with no user interaction, but exploitation is gated behind the high pre-existing privilege requirement, which confines the flaw to the post-exploitation/privilege-escalation stage of a chain on affected Pixel devices. There is no public exploit identified at time of analysis, and EPSS is negligible at 0.08% (0th percentile).
RemediationAI
Patch available per vendor advisory: apply the December 2025 Pixel Security Bulletin update (https://source.android.com/security/bulletin/pixel/2025-12-01), which carries the fix for the bigo_iommu.c use-after-free; the input data does not name an exact build or patch version, so install the latest available Pixel system image or OTA and confirm the device's security patch level reflects the December 2025 bulletin. Because triggering the flaw requires pre-existing System execution privileges and local access, the practical mitigations sit at that trust boundary: keep the set of apps and services granted System-level privileges as small as possible, avoid handing elevated shell or root-style capabilities to untrusted tooling or test frameworks, and disable or restrict ADB/USB debugging on managed or high-value devices (trade-off: this impedes legitimate debugging, device management, and support workflows). Enforce verified boot and full-disk encryption so an attacker cannot readily stage a local privilege-escalation chain that would first need to obtain the required privileges. No network-facing workaround exists since the vector is purely local, devices without the BIGO IOMMU driver need no action, and the absence of a CISA KEV listing means patching can follow the normal maintenance cycle rather than emergency procedures.
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Technical ContextAI · show details
bigo_iommu.c implements the IOMMU (I/O memory management unit) mapping layer for Google's BIGO video-codec hardware block on Tensor SoCs, with bigo_map() handling the IOVA/DMA mapping of buffers shared between the codec and the kernel. A use-after-free (CWE-416) in that routine means a mapping or buffer structure can be released while a stale reference to it remains reachable, allowing a caller with System privileges to observe reclaimed kernel memory (information disclosure) or to drive the kernel into operating on freed, attacker-influenced data, which is the memory-corruption path that can be escalated toward kernel code execution. The CPE binding provided, cpe:2.3:o:google:android:-:*:*:*:*:*:*:*, is the generic Android operating-system entry, but the vulnerable code path is a Pixel/Tensor-specific driver, so exposure is limited to devices shipping that component rather than Android generally. The score profile (PR:H, AV:L, UI:N) reflects a local attack that requires elevated privileges before the bug can be triggered, which is why the impact is serious at the memory-confidentiality/integrity/availability level but the practical attack surface is narrow; no remote or network vector is involved.
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Severity by source
AV:L/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
Local-only kernel bug reachable only with pre-existing System privileges gives AV:L/PR:H; reliable UAF trigger needs no added complexity or interaction (AC:L/UI:N); kernel compromise yields full C:H/I:H/A:H.
Primary rating from Vendor (google).
CVSS VectorVendor: google
DescriptionCVE.org
In bigo_map of bigo_iommu.c, there is a possible information disclosure due to a use after free. This could lead to local escalation of privilege in the OS Kernel level with System execution privileges needed. User interaction is not needed for exploitation.
Threat Intelligence Overview
NVD
CVE.org
EPSS
How this decision was reached
The engine reads each signal below and applies a fixed list of rules from top to bottom. The first rule that matches sets the recommended action – like a statement, every line is shown.
What every action level means
SSVC AssessmentENISA
Priority Score
Attack Technique
Privilege escalation occurs when an attacker leverages flaws in access control mechanisms to gain permissions beyond what they were originally granted.
Use-after-free vulnerabilities occur when a program continues to access memory through a pointer after that memory has been deallocated.
Memory corruption occurs when a program writes data beyond the boundaries of allocated memory regions or accesses memory in unintended ways, violating the integrity of the process's address space.
Information disclosure occurs when an application unintentionally exposes sensitive data that aids attackers in reconnaissance or directly compromises security.
Denial of Service attacks render applications or systems unavailable by overwhelming resources or triggering failure conditions.
GitHub PoC
Exploit-DB