CVE-2022-20385
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 · unediteda function called 'nla_parse', do not check the len of para, it will check nla_type (which can be controlled by userspace) with 'maxtype' (in this case, it is GSCAN_MAX), then it access polciy array 'policy[type]', which OOB access happens.Product: AndroidVersions: Android SoCAndroid ID: A-238379819
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 buffer over-read vulnerability exists in the Android kernel's nla_parse function where it fails to validate the length parameter before using a user-controlled nla_type value to index into a policy array. This insufficient bounds checking allows malicious netlink messages to trigger out-of-bounds memory access, potentially leading to privilege escalation.
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 dataall versionsCVSS 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
- Network
- Complexity
- Low
- Privileges
- None
- User interaction
- None
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- High
- Integrity
- High
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/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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Confirm the device is running AndroidCheck the operating system by viewing /system/build.prop or using 'getprop ro.build.id' to verify Android is presentAffected if The device is not running Google Android OS
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Check the Android security patch levelRun 'getprop ro.build.version.security_patch' to retrieve the installed security patch levelAffected if The security patch level is earlier than SVE-2022-20385 or cannot be determined
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Verify the kernel versionRun 'uname -r' or check /proc/version to identify the kernel version running on the deviceAffected if The kernel version corresponds to an unpatched Android release
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Identify netlink usageReview system configuration or logs for netlink socket usage, as the vulnerability is triggered through malicious netlink messagesAffected if Netlink sockets are actively in use without additional kernel hardening applied
A user is affected if the Android device has a security patch level earlier than SVE-2022-20385, since the vulnerability exists in all unpatched versions of the Android kernel's nla_parse function used for netlink message processing.
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 latest Android security patch level (SVE-2022-20385) or later for affected devices to address this vulnerability.
Latest Android security patch level (check Android Security Bulletin for specific CVE-2022-20385 fix date)
- Check your Android device's current security patch level in Settings > About Phone > Android version
- Apply the latest Android security update available for your device through Settings > System > Software Update
- For enterprise or custom deployments, ensure the kernel is updated to a version that includes the fix for A-238379819 (CVE-2022-20385)
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
- Consultation6.0 h
- Implementation12.0 h
- Testing8.0 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 $9,024.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2022-20385 — 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-2022-20385 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
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