dbcve.org
AndroidOperating system · Google

CVE-2022-20180

HIGH · 7.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2022-08-11
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
80/100
Remediation priority · High
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 several functions of mali_gralloc_reference.cpp, there is a possible arbitrary code execution due to a missing bounds check. This could lead to local escalation of privilege with User execution privileges needed. User interaction is not needed for exploitation.Product: AndroidVersions: Android kernelAndroid ID: A-212804042References: 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 · high confidence

A missing bounds check in multiple functions of the Mali GPU gralloc driver (mali_gralloc_reference.cpp) allows arbitrary code execution, enabling local privilege escalation without user interaction. The vulnerability exists in the Android kernel's graphics memory allocation code.

MitigationApply the Android kernel security patch that includes the bounds check fix for the Mali gralloc driver. Update to the latest Android security patch level containing the fix for A-212804042.

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
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 checks

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

  1. Confirm Mali GPU is present
    Check /proc/mali or /sys/class/misc for Mali GPU entries, or run 'lsmod | grep mali' to see if the Mali kernel module is loaded
    Affected if The device uses Mali GPU hardware - if no Mali GPU is found, the device is not affected by this specific vulnerability
  2. Verify Android security patch level
    Check Settings > About Phone > Security patch level, or run 'getprop ro.build.version.security_patch' via adb shell
    Affected if The security patch level is earlier than the version containing the fix for A-212804042 - all Android versions are affected until patched
  3. Check gralloc driver in use
    Examine /vendor/lib/hw/gralloc.default.so or check /sys/class/misc/mali0/device/gralloc for the driver type, or review kernel boot logs for 'mali_gralloc' references
    Affected if The gralloc driver is the Mali variant (mali_gralloc) - other gralloc implementations are not affected by this specific flaw
  4. Confirm vulnerability trigger condition
    The flaw exists in the bounds checking within mali_gralloc_reference.cpp in functions handling buffer reference counting - this is triggered when the gralloc module allocates or manages graphics buffers
    Affected if The device actively uses the Mali gralloc driver for graphics buffer allocation, which is typically ongoing during normal graphics operations

A device is affected if it uses Mali GPU hardware AND has not received the Android security patch containing the fix for A-212804042, as the vulnerability resides in the Mali gralloc driver bounds check flaw.

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 that includes the bounds check fix for the Mali gralloc driver. Update to the latest Android security patch level containing the fix for A-212804042.

Recommended fix Moderate confidence

Apply Android Security Bulletin - July 2022 update (Android Security Patch Level 2022-07-01 or later)

  1. Check your current Android Security Patch Level in Settings > About Phone > Android Security Patch Level
  2. If the patch level is earlier than July 2022, apply any available system updates
  3. Go to Settings > System > Software Update (or Settings > About Phone > System Update) and install the latest available update
  4. After updating, verify the Android Security Patch Level shows July 2022 or later
Caveat Standard Android security update; minimal risk of breaking changes as these are routine 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
  • Implementation12.0 h
  • Testing8.0 h
  • Review / QA4.0 h
28.0 hours of engineering $4,880
Get help mitigating

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $7,808.

Scan for this in your stack

Free · runs locally
dbcve dependency scanner

Check whether your project pulls in CVE-2022-20180 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.

Get it on GitHub Scan in the browser

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-2022-20180 in production — separate from our analysis above.

No notes yet

Be the first to add a field note for this CVE — a mitigation you’ve verified, a version caveat, or a link to a working fix. Sign in above to contribute.

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