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AndroidOperating system · Google

CVE-2020-0073

CRITICAL · 9.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2020-04-17
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
100/100
Remediation priority · Urgent
Remotely reachable No privileges Zero-click

Official description Straight from the sourceThe vendor's or NVD's own wording, published unedited. Authoritative, but often terse — it says what broke, rarely what to do.

NVD · unedited
In rw_t2t_handle_tlv_detect_rsp of rw_t2t_ndef.cc, there is a possible out of bounds write due to a missing bounds check. This could lead to remote code execution over NFC with no additional execution privileges needed. User interaction is not needed for exploitation.Product: AndroidVersions: Android-8.0 Android-8.1 Android-9 Android-10Android ID: A-147309942

Technical summary Written by usOur analysis, written from the advisory, the CVSS vector and the affected-version data. It adds context the advisory leaves out, and never invents facts that are not in the source.

dbcve analysis · high confidence

A bounds check vulnerability exists in the NFC Type 2 Tag NDEF handling function rw_t2t_handle_tlv_detect_rsp in rw_t2t_ndef.cc. The function fails to validate buffer boundaries when processing TLV (Tag-Length-Value) responses from NFC tags, allowing an attacker to trigger an out-of-bounds write. This enables remote code execution with NFC service privileges since NFC runs as a privileged system service.

MitigationApply the Android security patch for CVE-2020-0073 from the respective Android security bulletin. As this is a platform-level vulnerability in the NFC stack, no configuration workaround exists; the system must be updated to a patched Android version.

Verify against the referenced sources before acting — the references below are authoritative for this CVE, this summary is not.

Affected products & versions What the vendor confirmedThe version ranges the vendor confirmed as vulnerable. If your version sits inside a range here, treat yourself as exposed until you have upgraded.

NVD · CPE data
AndroidOperating system
Affected:= 8.0= 8.1= 9.0= 10.0

CVSS breakdown How the score is builtThe industry scoring standard. It rates how the flaw is reached, what it takes to exploit, and what an attacker gains — the score is derived from those, not the other way round.

From the vector
Attack vector
Network
Complexity
Low
Privileges
None
User interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

Am I affected? How to checkSteps we derive from the advisory and the affected-version data, so you can decide whether this CVE reaches your setup. They are a guide, not a scan — your own configuration is the authority.

dbcve checks

Work through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.

  1. Verify Android version is affected
    Go to Settings > About Phone > Android version. The device is potentially affected if running Android 8.0, 8.1, 9.0, or 10.0.
    Affected if Android version is 8.0, 8.1, 9.0, or 10.0 and the security patch is not applied
  2. Confirm NFC is enabled
    Go to Settings > Network & Internet > NFC (or Settings > Connections > NFC on Samsung). Check if NFC toggle is turned on.
    Affected if NFC is enabled - this creates the attack surface for the vulnerability
  3. Check security patch level
    Go to Settings > About Phone > Security patch level. Compare the date shown against the Android security bulletin for the month the CVE was patched (refer to the Android Security Bulletin for CVE-2020-0073).
    Affected if The security patch level is older than the patch date for CVE-2020-0073, meaning the fix has not been applied
  4. Identify NFC stack module
    This vulnerability exists in the NFC Type 2 Tag NDEF handling component (rw_t2t_handle_tlv_detect_rsp function in the NFC service). The attack requires processing a malicious NFC tag.
    Affected if The device uses the vulnerable NFC stack and processes NFC Type 2 tags without the boundary check validation fix

A device is affected if it runs Android 8.0-10.0, has NFC enabled, and lacks the CVE-2020-0073 security patch - the vulnerability requires NFC to be active and a crafted NFC tag to be scanned.

Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.

Check your environment

Paste your version and any relevant configuration and it will be compared against the affected criteria above. Do not include secrets or credentials.

AI-assisted, checked against the advisory. Informational, not a guarantee.

Remediation Closing itWhat it takes to close this. Where a vendor fix exists we point at it; where none exists we say so plainly, and can build one. Effort estimates are scoped from the advisory, not from your codebase.

dbcve · scoped
Mitigation available No clean upgrade yet — mitigate in the meantime
Mitigation

Apply the Android security patch for CVE-2020-0073 from the respective Android security bulletin. As this is a platform-level vulnerability in the NFC stack, no configuration workaround exists; the system must be updated to a patched Android version.

Recommended fix High confidence

March 2020 Android Security Patch Level or later (contact your device manufacturer or carrier for update availability)

  1. Check your device's current Security Patch Level by going to Settings > About Phone > Security Patch Level
  2. If the Security Patch Level is earlier than March 2020, check for a system update by going to Settings > System > System Update > Check for Update
  3. Install any available system updates. The fix for CVE-2020-0073 is included in the March 2020 Android Security Bulletin (or later)
  4. After updating, verify the Security Patch Level now shows March 2020 or later
Caveat Android 8.0 and 8.1 have reached end-of-life and may not receive security updates; consider upgrading to a newer device

Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.

Fix this in Android Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation4.0 h
  • Implementation8.0 h
  • Testing6.0 h
  • Review / QA4.0 h
22.0 hours of engineering $3,860
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References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.

Primary sources

Practitioner notes

Contributed

Peer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2020-0073 in production — separate from our analysis above.

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What this is

A place for practitioners to share what actually worked: a mitigation you’ve tested, a configuration change, a version- or environment-specific caveat, or a link to a verified patch. The most useful notes rise to the top as peers upvote them, so the signal stays high.

What belongs here
  • Verified mitigations, workarounds, and config changes
  • Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
  • No weaponised exploit code, or anything meant to cause harm
  • No spam, self-promotion, credentials, or personal data