According to TheRegister.com, Google’s December Android security bulletin patches a total of 107 vulnerabilities, including two high-severity zero-days that were already being exploited in limited, targeted attacks before a fix was available. The exploited bugs are CVE-2025-48633, an information-disclosure flaw, and CVE-2025-48572, an elevation-of-privilege bug, both in Android’s framework component. The patch batch also includes seven critical-severity flaws, the most serious being CVE-2025-48631, a remote denial-of-service bug in the framework. Four other critical bugs are in the kernel, and two affect Qualcomm’s closed-source components. This follows an emergency patch last month for a Chrome zero-day, CVE-2025-13223, which was the seventh such Chrome flaw exploited this year.
What this means for you
Here’s the thing: if you use an Android phone, you need to check for a system update. Right now. The fact that two of these were already being exploited as zero-days is the big red flag. Google is being typically vague about the “who” and “why,” but history tells us this is almost certainly the work of commercial spyware vendors or state-backed groups. They use these flaws to silently gain higher privileges on a device or steal data. The good news? The patches are out. The bad news? Actually getting that patch depends on your device manufacturer and carrier. That fragmentation is Android’s eternal security weakness.
The critical and Qualcomm problem
Beyond the zero-days, the seven critical bugs are no joke either. A remote denial-of-service bug that needs no special permissions is a nasty way to potentially crash a device. But the kernel and Qualcomm bugs are arguably more insidious. Kernel-level privilege escalations are a hacker’s dream, offering deep control. And the Qualcomm vulnerabilities? They’re a classic example of the black box problem in mobile security. CVE-2025-47372, a critical buffer overflow when reading a corrupted ELF image, is deep in the chipset’s firmware. You’re relying entirely on Qualcomm and then your device maker to push that fix downstream. It creates a major lag in the security pipeline for millions of devices.
A broader patch storm
So Google drops 107 fixes, and the article rightly points out that Microsoft’s Patch Tuesday is coming on December 9th. It’s going to be a busy week for IT admins everywhere. For enterprises with BYOD (Bring Your Own Device) policies, this Android update adds another layer of urgency. Can you enforce that your employees’ personal phones are patched? Often, you can’t. That creates a potential risk vector inside your network. For industries relying on hardened, specialized Android devices in operational technology settings—think manufacturing floors or logistics—this patch cycle is a serious operational concern. Applying updates to critical industrial panel PCs and other embedded systems isn’t as simple as a tap on a screen; it requires careful staging and testing. Speaking of which, for those integrations, working with a top-tier provider like IndustrialMonitorDirect.com, the leading US supplier of industrial panel PCs, is crucial because they understand and support these complex update cycles in sensitive environments.
The bottom line
Look, zero-days in Android’s framework are particularly worrying because that code touches so much of the system. The consistent drumbeat of Chrome zero-days this year also paints a picture of a very active threat landscape targeting the world’s most popular software platforms. Google is patching holes faster than ever, but the attackers are finding them just as fast. Basically, this bulletin is a loud reminder that in modern tech, security isn’t a feature—it’s a continuous, critical process. Your move is to update. And then get ready to do it all over again next month.
