AndroidOperating system · Google

CVE-2020-13839

CRITICAL · 9.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2020-06-05
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
An issue was discovered on LG mobile devices with Android OS 7.2, 8.0, 8.1, 9, and 10 (MTK chipsets). Code execution can occur via a custom AT command handler buffer overflow. The LG ID is LVE-SMP-200007 (June 2020).

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 buffer overflow vulnerability in the custom AT command handler on LG mobile devices with MediaTek chipsets allows remote code execution. The flaw exists across Android OS versions 7.2 through 10 and can be exploited by sending specially crafted AT commands to the modem.

MitigationApply vendor-supplied firmware security updates from LG (LG ID LVE-SMP-200007). Until patches are available, consider network-level controls to restrict untrusted AT command injection and restrict device access to trusted networks.

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:= 7.2= 8.0= 8.1= 9.0= 10.0

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 device manufacturer
    Check the device settings or use 'getprop ro.product.manufacturer' or 'getprop ro.product.brand' in ADB shell to confirm the device is LG
    Affected if The device manufacturer is not LG - if not LG, the device is not affected by this specific LG vulnerability
  2. Identify chipset vendor
    Check device specs or use 'getprop ro.mediatek.platform' in ADB shell to confirm MediaTek chipset
    Affected if The device does not use a MediaTek chipset - the vulnerability is specific to MediaTek-based LG devices
  3. Check Android OS version
    Use 'getprop ro.build.version.release' in ADB shell or check Settings > About Phone > Android version
    Affected if The Android version is outside 7.2 through 10 - versions outside this range are not affected according to the specified affected versions
  4. Verify AT command interface accessibility
    Check if the modem AT interface is exposed. Common paths include /dev/smd0, /dev/ttyUSB0, or /dev/ttyACM0. Use 'ls -la /dev/smd*' or 'ls -la /dev/tty*' in ADB shell to list available modem interfaces
    Affected if The AT command interface is accessible from apps or ADB without proper restrictions - an exposed AT interface is required for exploitation

The device is affected if it is an LG mobile phone with a MediaTek chipset running Android 7.2 through 10, and the modem AT command interface is accessible for injection.

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.

From vendor data
Mitigation available No clean upgrade yet — mitigate in the meantime
Mitigation

Apply vendor-supplied firmware security updates from LG (LG ID LVE-SMP-200007). Until patches are available, consider network-level controls to restrict untrusted AT command injection and restrict device access to trusted networks.

Fix this in Android Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation8.0 h
  • Implementation4.0 h
  • Testing6.0 h
  • Review / QA4.0 h
22.0 hours of engineering $3,940
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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-2020-13839 in production — separate from our analysis above.

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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
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