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GhostMap Android flaw can trap phones in reboot loops after install

Original title: GhostMap Android Flaw Can Trap Phones in Endless Reboot Loops Without Opening an App

Cyber Security Newsby Kavichselvan ()3 min read1
Read at cybersecuritynews.com
Part of a story covered by 6 sourcesBitdefender Discovers GhostMap ZIP Flaw Causing Persistent Android Crash LoopsMerged summary & timeline
AI summary · x-ai/grok-4.7Summaries by Vani AI

Bitdefender says the bug starts at Android 10, has no CVE or fix, and Google declined a security update.

Bitdefender Labs reported GhostMap on November 5, 2026. A crafted APK with no code and no permissions can crash system_server during install when mismatched ZIP compression fields map the file at a false size and raise SIGBUS. Tests on a Pixel 10 running Android 17 with the August 5, 2026 patch produced repeating crashes, and safe mode did not stop them. A factory reset ends the loop but erases local data.

Unconfirmed: Researchers have not seen the trick used against real users, and Google has not assigned a CVE or security patch.

Key facts
  • Analysis began August 12, 2026, after an in-the-wild banking dropper APK crashed emulators.
  • Bitdefender reported the flaw on August 20 and again on August 25.
  • One capture showed 110 crash repeats, and a safe mode run showed 72.
  • An 8,408-byte APK was mapped across about 16 MB in one test.
  • The bug only crashes processes and does not run code or steal data.
Security assessment · AI, from the articleNo known exploitation

Impact: endless system_server crash loop after app install

ProductAffected
Google AndroidAndroid 10 and later
What to do
  1. 1.Install apps only from trusted stores and avoid sideloaded APK files.
  2. 2.If USB debugging was already enabled, delete the package via ADB between crashes.
Analyze this story with Vani AIImpact, who is affected and what defenders should do, in a new chat
Tags
androidghostmapdenial-of-serviceapkbitdefender
Vendors
Google
Products
Android
Organizations
Bitdefender Labs

From the original article

3 min read at cybersecuritynews.com

A new Android bug named GhostMap can leave a phone stuck in a crash loop after a user installs a single crafted app. The app does not need to be opened, asks for no permissions, and contains no code. Researchers at Bitdefender Labs published the findings on November 5, 2026.

Cyber Security News

By Kavichselvan · cybersecuritynews.com

Read the full article at Cyber Security News

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.