CVE-2020-11223
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 · uneditedOut of bound in camera driver due to lack of check of validation of array index before copying into array in Snapdragon Auto, Snapdragon Compute, Snapdragon Consumer IOT, Snapdragon Industrial IOT, Snapdragon Mobile, Snapdragon Wearables
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 confidenceOut-of-bounds write vulnerability in Qualcomm Snapdragon camera drivers caused by missing validation of array indices before copying data into arrays. This allows writing data beyond array boundaries, potentially enabling privilege escalation or arbitrary code execution in the kernel context where the camera driver operates.
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 versionsall versionsall versionsall versionsall versionsall versionsall versionsall 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
- Low
- User interaction
- None
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- High
- Integrity
- High
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/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 the device chipset and camera hardwareCheck the device or system information to determine if it uses a Qualcomm Snapdragon processor. On Android devices, this is typically found in Settings > About Phone > Model/Processor, or via commands like 'getprop ro.hardware' or 'getprop ro.board.platform'. Look for Qualcomm Snapdragon branding in the processor information.Affected if The device does not use a Qualcomm Snapdragon processor with the listed PMIC (Power Management Integrated Circuit) components - the vulnerability only affects the specific firmware modules listed (Aqt1000, Pm3003a, Pm456, Pm6150, Pm6150a, Pm6150l, Pm6250, Pm6350)
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Check the PMIC firmware versionAccess the device's diagnostic or engineering mode to read the Power Management IC firmware version. On supported devices, this can be accessed via 'dmesg | grep -i pm' or through Qualcomm's diagnostic tools like QDCM (Quantum Channel Monitor). The firmware version string for the PMIC (Pm3003a, Pm456, etc.) will be displayed.Affected if The PMIC firmware version matches one of the affected components (Pm3003a, Pm456, Pm6150, Pm6150a, Pm6150l, Pm6250, Pm6350, or Aqt1000) - note that all versions of these firmware modules are affected per the CVE
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Verify camera driver is active and accessibleCheck if the camera subsystem is loaded and accessible on the device. On Android, this can be verified by examining /proc/msm_camera or checking camera-related kernel modules via 'lsmod | grep camera'. Also check if camera-related services are running: 'dmesg | grep -i camera' or check /vendor/lib/modules for camera driver modules.Affected if The camera driver module is loaded and actively handling camera operations - the out-of-bounds write occurs in the camera driver code when it processes array indices, so an active camera driver is required for exploitation
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Review camera driver kernel logs for anomaliesExamine kernel logs for any indications of memory corruption or array boundary issues in camera driver code. Run 'dmesg' or check /proc/kmsg for entries containing 'camera', 'msm_camera', or 'cci' (camera control interface) with error patterns like buffer overflow, out-of-bounds, or memory corruption indicators.Affected if The device is running a vulnerable camera driver version (any version of the listed firmware modules) and camera functionality is operational - the presence of the affected PMIC firmware with an active camera subsystem indicates potential exposure
The environment is affected if the device uses a Qualcomm Snapdragon chipset with any of the listed PMIC firmware modules (Aqt1000, Pm3003a, Pm456, Pm6150, Pm6150a, Pm6150l, Pm6250, Pm6350) and the camera driver is loaded and operational.
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 vendor-supplied firmware/driver patches from Qualcomm through device OEM updates. Prioritize mobile devices and wearables with direct camera access. No workarounds available; immediate patching is the only remediation.
- Consultation4.0 h
- Implementation6.0 h
- Testing4.0 h
- Review / QA2.0 h
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Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2020-11223 — 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-2020-11223 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
- No weaponised exploit code, or anything meant to cause harm
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