Android flaw causes persistent crash loop on APK install
Original title: GhostMap: The Android flaw that crashes your phone before you open the app
Bitdefender identified an Android vulnerability where a specially crafted APK triggers a SIGBUS crash leading to a boot loop requiring factory reset.
Bitdefender Labs researchers discovered that a malformed APK can cause Android to enter a persistent crash loop by mishandling ZIP entry compression methods and declared uncompressed length. The issue affects all Android versions from Android 10 and above. The crash loop persists after reboot and in safe mode. Recovery requires factory reset or ADB access if enabled. Researchers reproduced the issue on Pixel 10 with Android 17. Google classified the issue as outside security fix scope.
Unconfirmed: No real-world attacks observed by researchers
- Affects all Android versions from 10 to 17
- Requires factory reset to recover
- No permissions or executable code needed
- Reproduced on Pixel 10 with Aug 5 2026 patch
Impact: denial of service requiring factory reset
- Vendors
- GoogleBitdefender
- Products
- Android
- Organizations
- Bitdefender Labs
From the original article
15 min read at bitdefender.com
Bitdefender Labs researchers found that installing a specially crafted app can leave an Android phone stuck in a crash loop, even if you never open it or grant it a single permission. The app contains no code and never needs to run.
By Alecsandru Cătălin DAJ · bitdefender.com
A short excerpt; the article and its images belong to the publisher. Summary, key facts and assessment above are AI-written from the article and can be wrong.