dbcve.org
AndroidOperating system · Google

CVE-2020-0235

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
In crus_sp_shared_ioctl we first copy 4 bytes from userdata into "size" variable, and then use that variable as the size parameter for "copy_from_user", ending up overwriting memory following "crus_sp_hdr". "crus_sp_hdr" is a static variable, of type "struct crus_sp_ioctl_header".Product: AndroidVersions: Android kernelAndroid ID: A-135129430

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

Buffer overflow in crus_sp_shared_ioctl where a user-controlled size value (4 bytes copied from user data) is used directly as the size parameter for copy_from_user, allowing writes beyond the crus_sp_hdr buffer boundary. This is a kernel memory corruption vulnerability enabling privilege escalation.

MitigationImplement bounds validation on the size parameter before copy_from_user to ensure it does not exceed the available buffer space after crus_sp_hdr. Apply the vendor-supplied kernel patch for A-135129430.

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. Identify if Crus audio processor driver is present
    Check for loaded kernel modules or compiled driver: lsmod | grep -i crus OR check /sys/module/ for crus* directories OR grep -i crus /proc/modules
    Affected if The crus-related kernel module is loaded or compiled into the kernel (required for the vulnerable code path)
  2. Locate the crus device node
    Check for Crus-related device files in /dev: ls -la /dev/*crus* /dev/snd/*crus* 2>/dev/null OR check /dev for audio-related device nodes that would expose the ioctl interface
    Affected if A device node associated with the Crus audio processor driver exists (this provides the attack surface for the ioctl)
  3. Verify the kernel source contains crus_sp_shared_ioctl
    If kernel source is available, search for the vulnerable function: grep -rn 'crus_sp_shared_ioctl' /path/to/kernel/source/drivers/
    Affected if The function crus_sp_shared_ioctl exists in the compiled kernel, indicating the vulnerable code path is present

A device is affected if it runs any version of Google Android with the Crus audio processor driver loaded and a corresponding device node present, allowing user-space access to the vulnerable ioctl interface.

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 bounds validation on the size parameter before copy_from_user to ensure it does not exceed the available buffer space after crus_sp_hdr. Apply the vendor-supplied kernel patch for A-135129430.

Recommended fix Moderate confidence

Android devices with January 2020 security patch level (2020-01-01) or later; specific kernel version varies by device but must include the fix for A-135129430

  1. Apply the latest Android monthly security update for your device. Go to Settings > Security > Security Update and ensure you have the latest patch level installed.
  2. If your device manufacturer has released a newer firmware version that includes the January 2020 Android Security Bulletin or later patches, update to that firmware version.
  3. For devices no longer receiving official updates, consider upgrading to a device that still receives monthly security patches.
Caveat Users on end-of-life devices that no longer receive monthly security patches will not receive a fix and may need to replace their device

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

Fix this in Android Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation8.0 h
  • Implementation12.0 h
  • Testing16.0 h
  • Review / QA8.0 h
44.0 hours of engineering $7,600
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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-2020-0235 in production — separate from our analysis above.

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What this is

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What belongs here
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  • Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
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