dbcve.org
AndroidOperating system · Google

CVE-2022-20020

MEDIUM · 5.5 CVSS v3.1 Published 2022-01-04
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
57/100
Remediation priority · Elevated
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
In libvcodecdrv, there is a possible information disclosure due to a missing bounds check. This could lead to local information disclosure with no additional execution privileges needed. User interaction is not needed for exploitation. Patch ID: ALPS05943906; Issue ID: ALPS05943906.

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 confidence

A missing bounds check in libvcodecdrv (MediaTek video codec driver library) allows a local attacker to read beyond allocated buffer boundaries, potentially exposing sensitive kernel memory contents. This is a classic out-of-bounds read vulnerability exploitable without privileges or user interaction.

MitigationApply vendor patch ALPS05943906 which adds proper bounds validation in the video codec driver. This is a driver-level fix requiring source code modification and thorough video functionality testing.

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:= 11.0

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
Local
Complexity
Low
Privileges
Low
User interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
None
Availability
None

CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N

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. Confirm Android version is 11.0
    Go to Settings > About Phone > Android version or run 'getprop ro.build.version.release' via ADB shell
    Affected if Android version is exactly 11.0 (not 10, 12, or later)
  2. Identify MediaTek chipset usage
    Run 'getprop ro.hardware' or 'getprop ro.mediatek.platform' via ADB shell, or check /proc/cpuinfo for MediaTek processor information
    Affected if Device uses a MediaTek SoC (System-on-Chip)
  3. Locate the libvcodecdrv library
    Search for libvcodecdrv.so in /system/lib or /vendor/lib directories via ADB shell using 'find /system /vendor -name libvcodecdrv* 2>/dev/null'
    Affected if The libvcodecdrv library file exists on the device
  4. Verify video codec driver is accessible
    Check if video codec services are running via 'ps -A | grep -i codec' or examine /dev/video* device nodes via ADB shell
    Affected if Video codec driver interface is accessible (dev nodes exist or service is running)

Device is affected if it runs Android 11.0 on a MediaTek chipset and contains the libvcodecdrv library with accessible video codec functionality.

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.

dbcve · scoped
Mitigation available No clean upgrade yet — mitigate in the meantime
Mitigation

Apply vendor patch ALPS05943906 which adds proper bounds validation in the video codec driver. This is a driver-level fix requiring source code modification and thorough video functionality testing.

Recommended fix High confidence

Android 11.0 with May 2022 Security Bulletin (or later) / MediaTek ALPS version containing patch ALPS05943906

  1. Check the current Android Security Patch Level on the device in Settings > About Phone > Security Patch Level
  2. Verify if the device has received the May 2022 Android Security Bulletin update or later which includes the fix for CVE-2022-20020
  3. If not patched, apply the latest system update from the device OEM that includes the MediaTek security patches
  4. Alternatively, if using a custom ROM or MediaTek-based device, ensure the MediaTek ALPS firmware is updated to a version incorporating patch ALPS05943906
  5. After update, verify the Security Patch Level reflects May 2022 or later
Caveat May vary by OEM; some older devices may stop receiving monthly security updates

Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.

Fix this in Android Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation3.0 h
  • Implementation6.0 h
  • Testing12.0 h
  • Review / QA4.0 h
25.0 hours of engineering $4,200
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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-2022-20020 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
  • No weaponised exploit code, or anything meant to cause harm
  • No spam, self-promotion, credentials, or personal data