CVE-2020-0406
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 libmpeg2dec, there is a possible out of bounds write due to a missing bounds check. This could lead to local escalation of privilege if another exploit allowed this to be triggered with different parameters, with no additional execution privileges needed. User interaction is needed for exploitation.Product: AndroidVersions: Android-11Android ID: A-137794014
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 confidenceAn out-of-bounds write vulnerability exists in libmpeg2dec (Android's MPEG video decoding library) due to a missing bounds check. The flaw could allow a local attacker to write beyond allocated buffer boundaries, potentially achieving privilege escalation when chained with another exploit. User interaction is required to trigger the vulnerable code path.
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= 11.0CVSS 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
- None
- User interaction
- Required
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- High
- Integrity
- High
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/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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Verify Android version is 11.0Go to Settings > About Phone > Android version, or run 'getprop ro.build.version.release' via ADB shellAffected if Android version is exactly 11.0 (the only affected version listed)
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Check if libmpeg2dec library is presentRun 'ls -la /system/lib/libmpeg2dec*' or 'find /system -name libmpeg2dec*' via ADB shellAffected if The libmpeg2dec library exists on the device (required component for the vulnerability)
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Check security patch levelRun 'getprop ro.build.version.security_patch' via ADB shell or check Settings > About Phone > Security patch levelAffected if Security patch level is earlier than the November 2020 Android-11 security update (A-137794014)
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Verify user-triggerable MPEG video decoding is in useCheck if apps using MediaCodec for MPEG video decoding are active, or review app permissions for media handlingAffected if User interacts with MPEG video content that triggers the libmpeg2dec decoder path
A device is affected only if it runs Android 11.0 specifically, contains the libmpeg2dec library, has a pre-November 2020 security patch level, and a user interacts with MPEG video content that triggers the vulnerable decoding path.
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 Android-11 security patch (A-137794014) to address the missing bounds check in libmpeg2dec. Users should ensure their devices are updated to the latest Android security update level.
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation4.0 h
- Testing8.0 h
- Review / QA2.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $4,288.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2020-0406 — 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-2020-0406 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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- Verified mitigations, workarounds, and config changes
- Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
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