CVE-2022-20060
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 · uneditedIn preloader (usb), there is a possible permission bypass due to a missing proper image authentication. This could lead to local escalation of privilege, for an attacker who has physical access to the device, with no additional execution privileges needed. User interaction is needed for exploitation. Patch ID: ALPS06160806; Issue ID: ALPS06137462.
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 confidenceThis vulnerability exists in the USB preloader component of MediaTek chipsets where proper image authentication is not enforced, allowing a physically present attacker to bypass permission checks and escalate privileges locally.
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= 10.0= 11.0= 12.0CVSS 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
- Physical
- Complexity
- Low
- Privileges
- None
- User interaction
- Required
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- High
- Integrity
- High
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.1/AV:P/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/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 MediaTek chipset is in useCheck device specifications via Settings > About Phone > Chipset or use 'getprop ro.hardware' via ADBAffected if Device uses a MediaTek chipset and the bootloader/USB preloader is accessible
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Verify Android version matches affected releasesCheck Settings > About Phone > Android version or use 'adb shell getprop ro.build.version.release'Affected if Android version is 10.0, 11.0, or 12.0 on a MediaTek device
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Check USB debugging developer option statusGo to Settings > Developer Options > USB debugging, or run 'adb get-state' to see if USB debugging is enabledAffected if USB debugging is enabled, allowing ADB access to the device
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Confirm USB preloader mode accessibilityAttempt to enter MediaTek preloader mode via hardware key combination (Hold Vol Down + Connect USB) or check if 'adb reboot bootloader' exposes preloader interfacesAffected if USB preloader mode is accessible via hardware or ADB commands without authentication
A defender is affected if their device has a MediaTek chipset, runs Android 10.0, 11.0, or 12.0, and has USB debugging or preloader mode accessible, allowing a physically present attacker to bypass authentication and escalate privileges locally.
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 vendor patch (ALPS06160806). Until patched, limit physical access to devices and disable USB debugging interfaces where possible.
- Consultation4.0 h
- Implementation16.0 h
- Testing8.0 h
- Review / QA4.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $8,960.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2022-20060 — 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-2022-20060 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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