CVE-2020-0220
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 · uneditedIn crus_afe_callback of msm-cirrus-playback.c, there is a possible out of bounds write due to a missing bounds check. This could lead to local escalation of privilege with System execution privileges needed. User interaction is not needed for exploitation.Product: AndroidVersions: Android kernelAndroid ID: A-139739561
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 confidenceA buffer overflow vulnerability exists in the crus_afe_callback function within the msm-cirrus-playback.c audio driver in the Android kernel. The function lacks proper bounds checking before writing data, allowing an attacker with System execution privileges to write beyond buffer boundaries and potentially escalate privileges to root.
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 dataall versionsCVSS 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
- Local
- Complexity
- Low
- Privileges
- High
- User interaction
- None
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- High
- Integrity
- High
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:H/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 checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Identify if the device uses Qualcomm Cirrus audio hardwareCheck the kernel config or module list for 'msm-cirrus-playback' or 'cirrus' audio driver references. On the device, run: 'ls /system/lib/modules/' or check /proc/config.gz if available, looking for msm-cirrus-playback or similar Cirrus audio modules.Affected if The msm-cirrus-playback.c driver module is present in the kernel or loaded as a module on the device.
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Check kernel versionRun 'uname -a' or check /proc/version to obtain the kernel version string.Affected if The kernel version predates the vendor patch date (this CVE was published in early 2020, so pre-2020 kernels are more likely unpatched).
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Verify System execution privilegesConfirm you have System-level shell access by running 'id' command - output showing uid=1000(system) or higher privileges.Affected if The attacker already has System-level execution privileges on the device, which is a prerequisite for exploiting this vulnerability.
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Check for root privilege escalation indicatorsReview any available audit logs, SELinux logs in /proc/avc/ (if accessible), or dmesg output for indicators of attempted or successful privilege escalation related to audio subsystem.Affected if Evidence exists of root privilege escalation or attempted buffer overflows in audio driver paths.
The device is affected if it uses Qualcomm hardware with the msm-cirrus-playback audio driver and runs an unpatched Android kernel, combined with an attacker who already has System-level execution privileges.
Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.
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.
From vendor dataApply the vendor-supplied kernel patch that adds bounds checking to the crus_afe_callback function in msm-cirrus-playback.c, delivered through Android system updates.
- Consultation4.0 h
- Implementation8.0 h
- Testing12.0 h
- Review / QA6.0 h
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Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2020-0220 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.
References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.
Primary sourcesPractitioner notes
ContributedPeer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2020-0220 in production — separate from our analysis above.
The advisory tells you what broke. It rarely tells you what actually worked. If you’ve dealt with this one, that detail is what the next engineer is searching for.
- The version that genuinely resolved it — not the one the vendor claimed
- A config change or rule that shut the vector down
- A gotcha in the upgrade path that cost you an afternoon
No notes yet
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- Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
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