CVE-2020-13842
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). A dangerous AT command was made available even though it is unused. The LG ID is LVE-SMP-200010 (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 dangerous AT command is exposed on LG mobile devices with MediaTek chipsets running Android OS 7.2 through 10. This unused AT command creates an attack surface that could allow local privilege escalation or other malicious activity.
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
- 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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Confirm device is LG brandCheck the device manufacturer in Settings > About Phone or via 'getprop ro.product.manufacturer' command in ADB shellAffected if Device is not manufactured by LG, then not affected by this specific LG vulnerability
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Verify MediaTek chipsetCheck the chipset info in Settings > About Phone > Hardware or via 'getprop ro.mediatek.platform' command in ADB shellAffected if Chipset is not MediaTek, then not affected as this vulnerability specifically targets MediaTek-based LG devices
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Check Android OS versionNavigate to Settings > About Phone > Android version or run 'getprop ro.build.version.release' in ADB shellAffected if Android version is 7.2, 8.0, 8.1, 9.0, or 10.0 - versions outside this range are not affected
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Test AT command interface accessibilityUse a terminal app or ADB shell to attempt communication with the AT command interface via /dev/tty or serial endpoint. The specific AT command itself is not named in vulnerability details, but the presence of an accessible AT interface indicates the attack surface existsAffected if AT command interface is accessible and responsive on the device, indicating the dangerous AT command may be exposed
A device is affected if it is an LG mobile phone with a MediaTek chipset running Android 7.2 through 10 with an accessible AT command interface.
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 dataLG should release a firmware update that removes or disables the dangerous unused AT command. Users should apply available carrier and firmware updates as they become available.
- Consultation8.0 h
- Implementation24.0 h
- Testing12.0 h
- Review / QA12.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $15,808.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2020-13842 — 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-2020-13842 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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