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AndroidOperating system · Google

CVE-2022-20155

HIGH · 7.0 CVSS v3.1 Published 2022-06-15
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
72/100
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 ipu_core_jqs_msg_transport_kernel_write_sync of ipu-core-jqs-msg-transport.c, there is a possible use-after-free due to a race condition. This could lead to local escalation of privilege with no additional execution privileges needed. User interaction is not needed for exploitation.Product: AndroidVersions: Android kernelAndroid ID: A-176754369References: N/A

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 use-after-free vulnerability exists in the ipu_core_jqs_msg_transport_kernel_write_sync function within the Android kernel's IPU (Image Processing Unit) message transport driver. A race condition allows a local attacker to cause memory to be freed while it is still being accessed, potentially leading to local privilege escalation without requiring additional execution privileges or user interaction.

MitigationApply the Android kernel security patch for CVE-2022-20155, which addresses the race condition in ipu-core-jqs-msg-transport.c by implementing proper synchronization around the memory management operations causing the use-after-free.

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:all versions

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

CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:H/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 checks

Work through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.

  1. Verify the device is running Android
    Check /proc/version or use 'getprop ro.build.version.release' to confirm the OS is Google Android
    Affected if The device runs any version of Android - the vulnerability affects all Android versions per the CVE scope
  2. Check if the IPU kernel module or driver is loaded
    Examine /proc/modules or use 'lsmod' to list loaded kernel modules, looking for ipu_core, ipu_jqs_msg_transport, or similar IPU-related modules
    Affected if The IPU driver module is loaded, indicating the vulnerable code path is active in memory
  3. Identify the kernel version and security patch level
    Run 'getprop ro.build.version.security_patch' to get the Android security patch date, and 'uname -r' for the kernel version
    Affected if The security patch level is earlier than the CVE publication date (July 2022) or the kernel version predates the fix; earlier patch dates indicate the fix may not be applied
  4. Check for the presence of the vulnerable driver file in the kernel
    Examine /sys/module/ or /kernel/drivers/ for ipu-core-jqs-msg-transport related files, or check the kernel config if accessible
    Affected if The IPU message transport driver is compiled into or loaded by the kernel, exposing the vulnerable function ipu_core_jqs_msg_transport_kernel_write_sync

If the device runs Android and has the IPU driver present with a security patch level before July 2022, the environment is likely affected by CVE-2022-20155.

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 the Android kernel security patch for CVE-2022-20155, which addresses the race condition in ipu-core-jqs-msg-transport.c by implementing proper synchronization around the memory management operations causing the use-after-free.

Recommended fix Moderate confidence

Latest Android Security Patch Level (monthly updates containing fix for Android ID A-176754369)

  1. 1. Go to Settings > Security & Privacy > Security Update on the Android device
  2. 2. Check the current Android Security Patch level under "Google Play system update"
  3. 3. If the device is not on the latest security patch level, apply any available system updates
  4. 4. For enterprise/managed devices, work with the mobile device management (MDM) administrator to push the latest security updates
  5. 5. After updating, verify the patch level matches the latest Android Security Bulletin that addresses this vulnerability (CVE-2022-20155)
Caveat OEM/carrier updates may have varying deployment timelines; some older devices may no longer receive monthly security patches

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

Fix this in Android Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation4.0 h
  • Implementation8.0 h
  • Testing6.0 h
  • Review / QA4.0 h
22.0 hours of engineering $3,860
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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-2022-20155 in production — separate from our analysis above.

No notes yet

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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