CVE-2022-20109
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 ion, there is a possible use after free due to improper update of reference count. This could lead to local escalation of privilege with no additional execution privileges needed. User interaction is not needed for exploitation. Patch ID: ALPS06399915; Issue ID: ALPS06399915.
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 confidenceA use-after-free vulnerability exists in the Android ion memory allocator due to improper reference count management. When reference counts are not correctly updated, memory can be freed while still being referenced, allowing a local attacker to potentially corrupt memory and escalate privileges to higher permissions.
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= 9.0= 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
- 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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Check Android versionRun 'getprop ro.build.version.release' or check Settings > About Phone > Android versionAffected if The version returned matches 9.0, 10.0, 11.0, or 12.0 exactly
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Verify ION allocator is presentCheck for /proc/ion/ directory or run 'ls -la /dev/ion' to confirm the ION memory allocator kernel module is active on the deviceAffected if The ION allocator interface exists and is accessible on the device
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Check security patch levelRun 'getprop ro.build.version.security_patch' to see the installed security patch dateAffected if The patch level is earlier than the vendor fix date (ALPS06399915) or the device shows no patch applied for this specific CVE
A device is affected if it runs Android 9.0, 10.0, 11.0, or 12.0 with the ION memory allocator active and lacks the vendor-specific patch for CVE-2022-20109.
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.
dbcve · scopedApply the vendor patch (ALPS06399915) to update the ion allocator's reference counting logic. Ensure the patch is integrated into the affected Android/kernel version.
Android 12L or later with July 2022 Security Patch Level (or manufacturer-specific update containing ALPS06399915)
- 1. Check your device manufacturer's Android security update schedule for availability of the patch ALPS06399915
- 2. Apply the latest available Android security update for your device (July 2022 or later security patch level)
- 3. Verify the patch was applied by checking Settings > About Phone > Security Patch Level
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
- Consultation4.0 h
- Implementation8.0 h
- Testing12.0 h
- Review / QA6.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $8,192.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2022-20109 — 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-2022-20109 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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