GhostMap Android flaw lets malicious app trigger persistent boot loop

A vulnerability in Android, dubbed 'GhostMap', allows a malicious app to trigger a persistent boot loop on affected devices by exploiting inconsistent ZIP compression method handling in Android libraries. The app does not require permissions or user interaction beyond installation, and causes the system_server process to crash repeatedly by mapping a file into an unallocated memory region, triggering a SIGBUS signal. Bitdefender discovered the flaw while analyzing an Android banking trojan and demonstrated it on a Pixel 10 running Android 17; Google has classified the issue as 'not reproducible' and has not issued a patch.

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