dbcve.org
AndroidOperating system · Google

CVE-2020-0232

CRITICAL · 9.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2020-06-16
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
Function abc_pcie_issue_dma_xfer_sync creates a transfer object, adds it to the session object then continues to work with it. A concurrent thread could retrieve created transfer object from the session object and delete it using abc_pcie_dma_user_xfer_clean. If this happens, abc_pcie_start_dma_xfer and abc_pcie_wait_dma_xfer in the original thread will trigger UAF when working with the transfer object.Product: AndroidVersions: Android kernelAndroid ID: A-151453714

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 race condition in Android kernel's PCIe DMA subsystem allows a concurrent thread to delete a transfer object via abc_pcie_dma_user_xfer_clean while the original thread is still using it in abc_pcie_start_dma_xfer and abc_pcie_wait_dma_xfer, triggering a Use-After-Free vulnerability.

MitigationImplement proper synchronization (e.g., mutex locks or reference counting) around the transfer object lifecycle to prevent concurrent access and deletion, then apply as a kernel patch.

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:all versions

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 PCIe DMA driver presence
    Check if the abc_pcie_dma kernel module or driver is loaded on the device. On Android, this can be done via 'lsmod | grep -i pcie' or by examining /proc/modules if you have root access, or checking /sys/module/ for a module named 'abc_pcie_dma' or similar PCIe DMA implementations.
    Affected if The abc_pcie_dma module or driver is loaded on the device.
  2. Check kernel configuration for PCIe DMA support
    Inspect the kernel configuration file (usually found at /proc/config.gz or in /boot/ if available) for CONFIG_PCIE_DMA or similar PCIe DMA configuration options that enable the vulnerable code path.
    Affected if PCIe DMA support is enabled in the running kernel configuration.
  3. Identify if device uses vulnerable PCIe operations
    Check system logs (dmesg, logcat) for any references to 'pcie_dma', 'abc_pcie', or DMA transfer operations that would indicate the PCIe DMA subsystem is actively being used on the device.
  4. Confirm Android kernel version
    Run 'uname -r' or check /proc/version to identify the exact kernel version running on the Android device.
    Affected if The device runs any version of the Android kernel that includes the vulnerable PCIe DMA code (all versions per the CVE scope).

The device is affected if the abc_pcie_dma PCIe DMA driver is present and enabled in the kernel, since all Android versions contain the race condition vulnerability in this subsystem.

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

Implement proper synchronization (e.g., mutex locks or reference counting) around the transfer object lifecycle to prevent concurrent access and deletion, then apply as a kernel patch.

Recommended fix High confidence

Android security patch level 2020-01-01 or later (included in January 2020 Android Security Bulletin)

  1. Check current Android security patch level on the device in Settings > About Phone > Security Patch Level
  2. Ensure the device has received the January 2020 Android Security Bulletin update or later (security patch level 2020-01-01 or later)
  3. Contact your device manufacturer or carrier if the update is not available to request the security patch
Caveat Some older devices may no longer receive monthly security updates; consider upgrading to a device with active security support

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

Fix this in Android Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation6.0 h
  • Implementation12.0 h
  • Testing10.0 h
  • Review / QA6.0 h
34.0 hours of engineering $5,940
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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-2020-0232 in production — separate from our analysis above.

No notes yet

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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