AndroidOperating system · Google

CVE-2022-20400

CRITICAL · 9.8 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 →
100/100
Remediation priority · Urgent
Remotely reachable No privileges 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 cd_CodeMsg of cd_codec.c, there is a possible out of bounds write due to a missing bounds check. This could lead to remote code execution with no additional execution privileges needed. User interaction is not needed for exploitation.Product: AndroidVersions: Android kernelAndroid ID: A-225178325References: 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 missing bounds check in the cd_CodeMsg function of cd_codec.c in the Android kernel allows an out-of-bounds write vulnerability that can be exploited for remote code execution without any user interaction or additional privileges.

MitigationApply Android kernel security updates addressing CVE-2022-20400; patch Android kernel to versions containing the bounds check fix in cd_codec.c.

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
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 checks

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

  1. Identify Android kernel version
    Run 'getprop ro.kernel.version' or check /proc/version on the device to determine the running kernel version
    Affected if The kernel version is any Android version (this CVE affects all versions)
  2. Check for cd_codec component presence
    Search for the cd_codec.c module or driver in the kernel configuration or loaded modules (typically found under /lib/modules/ or via 'lsmod' if kernel module support is enabled)
    Affected if The cd_codec component is present in the kernel build
  3. Verify cd_CodeMsg function exists
    Inspect the cd_codec.c source file in the kernel tree or check the compiled kernel image for the cd_CodeMsg function symbol
    Affected if The cd_CodeMsg function is present in the kernel (function existence confirms the vulnerable code path)
  4. Confirm out-of-bounds write capability
    Review kernel config for cd_codec support or analyze the cd_CodeMsg function for missing bounds checking logic in the code
    Affected if cd_codec is enabled and the function lacks bounds validation before memory writes

If the device runs any Android version with the cd_codec component containing the cd_CodeMsg function, the environment is affected by this out-of-bounds write vulnerability.

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.

From vendor data
Mitigation available No clean upgrade yet — mitigate in the meantime
Mitigation

Apply Android kernel security updates addressing CVE-2022-20400; patch Android kernel to versions containing the bounds check fix in cd_codec.c.

Fix this in Android Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation6.0 h
  • Implementation12.0 h
  • Testing6.0 h
  • Review / QA4.0 h
28.0 hours of engineering $4,980
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Scan for this in your stack

Free · runs locally
dbcve dependency scanner

Check whether your project pulls in CVE-2022-20400 — 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 sources

Practitioner notes

Contributed

Peer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2022-20400 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