CVE-2020-13840
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 · uneditedAn 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 an MTK AT command handler buffer overflow. The LG ID is LVE-SMP-200008 (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 · moderate confidenceA buffer overflow vulnerability in the MTK AT command handler on LG mobile devices running Android 7.2 through 10 allows arbitrary code execution. The flaw exists in the baseband/modem firmware that processes AT commands, which are used for communication between the device and cellular network.
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= 7.2= 8.0= 8.1= 9.0= 10.0CVSS 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
- 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 checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Confirm device is an LG mobile phoneGo to Settings > About Phone and verify the manufacturer is LG and the device model is an LG smartphoneAffected if The device is not manufactured by LG - this vulnerability specifically affects LG mobile devices
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Check Android versionGo to Settings > About Phone > Android version and note the installed Android OS versionAffected if Android version is 7.2, 8.0, 8.1, 9.0, or 10.0 (the specific versions listed as affected)
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Verify baseband/modem firmware handles AT commandsThis is inherent to all cellular devices - the MTK baseband processor processes AT commands for cellular network communication. No manual check required as this component is always active on affected devices.Affected if Device has cellular connectivity and uses MTK baseband firmware - the vulnerability exists in the firmware processing AT commands regardless of configuration
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Check LG security patch levelGo to Settings > About Phone > Software info > Build number - tap build number 7 times to enable developer options, then go to Settings > System > Developer options > Vendor security patch levelAffected if Security patch level is earlier than the LVE-SMP-200008 update (the patch that addresses this issue)
You are affected if you have an LG Android device running version 7.2, 8.0, 8.1, 9.0, or 10.0 and the device has not received the LVE-SMP-200008 security update.
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 LG security update (LVE-SMP-200008) or upgrade to a newer Android version containing the patch. For devices without available updates, consider network segmentation or device replacement to reduce exposure.
- Consultation6.0 h
- Implementation12.0 h
- Testing8.0 h
- Review / QA4.0 h
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Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2020-13840 — 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-2020-13840 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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