diff --git a/src/mvt/android/artifacts/mounts.py b/src/mvt/android/artifacts/mounts.py
index 5a5537b7..0380a785 100644
--- a/src/mvt/android/artifacts/mounts.py
+++ b/src/mvt/android/artifacts/mounts.py
@@ -136,6 +136,10 @@ class Mounts(AndroidArtifact):
             mount_options = fields[5].split(",")
             super_options = fields[separator + 3].split(",")
             options = list(dict.fromkeys(mount_options + super_options))
+            # fields[5] are the per-mount (VFS) flags, the field after the
+            # separator the superblock's; a mount is writable only if both
+            # allow it. The merged list made every read-only overlay a HIGH.
+            is_read_write = "rw" in mount_options and "rw" in super_options
             mount_point = fields[4].replace("\\040", " ")
             device = fields[separator + 2].replace("\\040", " ")
             filesystem_type = fields[separator + 1]
@@ -156,7 +160,7 @@ class Mounts(AndroidArtifact):
                     "options_list": options,
                     "optional_fields": fields[6:separator],
                     "is_system_partition": is_system,
-                    "is_read_write": "rw" in options,
+                    "is_read_write": is_read_write,
                     "process_ids": [process_id],
                 }
             )
@@ -191,7 +195,14 @@ class Mounts(AndroidArtifact):
                     )
 
             # Check for other suspicious mount options
-            suspicious_opts = [opt for opt in options if opt in SUSPICIOUS_OPTIONS]
+            # `rw` sitting in the merged option list is not evidence of
+            # writability (see is_read_write in parse_mountinfo); every other
+            # suspicious option is meaningful in either list.
+            suspicious_opts = [
+                opt
+                for opt in options
+                if opt in SUSPICIOUS_OPTIONS and (opt != "rw" or mount["is_read_write"])
+            ]
             if suspicious_opts and mount["is_system_partition"]:
                 if (
                     "noatime" in mount["mount_options"]
diff --git a/tests/android/test_artifact_mounts.py b/tests/android/test_artifact_mounts.py
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..6b7d1faf
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/android/test_artifact_mounts.py
@@ -0,0 +1,43 @@
+# Mobile Verification Toolkit (MVT)
+# Copyright (c) 2021-2026 The MVT Authors.
+# Use of this software is governed by the MVT License 1.1 that can be found at
+#   https://license.mvt.re/1.1/
+"""A mount is writable only if both mountinfo option layers allow it."""
+
+from mvt.android.artifacts.mounts import Mounts
+from mvt.common.alerts import AlertLevel
+
+# fields[5] is the per-mount (VFS) layer, the field after "-" the superblock.
+RO_OVERLAY = (
+    "304 166 0:130 / /product/usr rw,relatime shared:63 - overlay overlay "
+    "ro,seclabel,lowerdir=/mnt/vendor/ext/product/usr:/product/usr"
+)
+RW_SYSTEM = (
+    "305 166 0:131 / /system rw,relatime shared:64 - ext4 /dev/block/dm-1 "
+    "rw,seclabel,errors=panic"
+)
+
+
+def _run(line):
+    mounts = Mounts()
+    mounts.results = Mounts.parse_mountinfo(line, 1)
+    mounts.check_indicators()
+    return mounts
+
+
+class TestMountsReadWriteLayers:
+    def test_rw_vfs_over_ro_superblock_is_not_writable(self):
+        mounts = _run(RO_OVERLAY)
+        assert mounts.results[0]["is_read_write"] is False
+        assert mounts.alertstore.count(AlertLevel.HIGH) == 0
+        assert mounts.alertstore.count(AlertLevel.MEDIUM) == 0
+
+    def test_rw_in_both_layers_still_alerts(self):
+        mounts = _run(RW_SYSTEM)
+        assert mounts.results[0]["is_read_write"] is True
+        assert mounts.alertstore.count(AlertLevel.HIGH) == 1
+
+    def test_both_option_layers_are_still_reported(self):
+        mounts = _run(RO_OVERLAY)
+        options = mounts.results[0]["options_list"]
+        assert "rw" in options and "ro" in options