dbcve.org
AndroidOperating system · Google

CVE-2022-20494

MEDIUM · 5.5 CVSS v3.1 Published 2023-01-26
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
57/100
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 AutomaticZenRule of AutomaticZenRule.java, there is a possible persistent DoS due to resource exhaustion. This could lead to local denial of service with no additional execution privileges needed. User interaction is not needed for exploitation.Product: AndroidVersions: Android-10 Android-11 Android-12 Android-12L Android-13Android ID: A-243794204

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 local denial of service vulnerability exists in Android's AutomaticZenRule component where resource exhaustion can occur, allowing an attacker to cause persistent DoS without requiring special privileges or user interaction. The vulnerability affects Android versions 10 through 13.

MitigationApply the relevant Android security patch (2022-09-01 or later) or upgrade to a patched Android version to remediate this vulnerability.

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:= 10.0= 11.0= 12.0= 12.1= 13.0

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
None
Integrity
None
Availability
High

CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/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 Android version
    Go to Settings > About Phone (or About Device) > Android version. Alternatively, run `getprop ro.build.version.release` in a terminal or ADB shell.
    Affected if The reported version is 10, 11, 12, 12.1, or 13 (any build within these major versions).
  2. Confirm Android security patch level
    Go to Settings > About Phone > Security patch level. This is visible in the same section as the Android version.
    Affected if The security patch level is earlier than the 2022-09-01 patch, or the patch date cannot be verified.
  3. Check for Do Not Disturb (Zen Mode) accessibility
    Access Settings > Sound > Do Not Disturb (or Notifications > Do Not Disturb). Verify the feature is available and can be configured.
    Affected if Do Not Disturb (AutomaticZenRule) functionality is present and accessible on the device.
  4. Review installed Zen rules
    Use ADB command: ` dumpsys notification --get-zen-rules` or check Settings > Do Not Disturb > Rules to view configured automation rules.
    Affected if Any Zen rules exist that could potentially be exploited for resource exhaustion.

A device is affected if it runs Android version 10, 11, 12, 12.1, or 13 and has not applied the 2022-09-01 or later security patch, with Do Not Disturb functionality available.

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 relevant Android security patch (2022-09-01 or later) or upgrade to a patched Android version to remediate this vulnerability.

Recommended fix High confidence

Android 13 (or the latest available Android version with the corresponding security patch)

  1. Check your current Android version in Settings > About Phone > Android version
  2. Upgrade your device to Android 13 (or a later version) which contains the security patch addressing CVE-2022-20494
  3. If Android 13 is not available for your device, apply the monthly security patch that includes the fix for Android ID A-243794204
  4. Verify the fix by confirming the Android version and security patch level in Settings > About Phone > Security patch level
Caveat Upgrading Android versions may cause incompatibility with some apps or settings; ensure app compatibility before upgrading

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

Fix this in Android Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation1.0 h
  • Testing3.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
8.0 hours of engineering $1,390
Get help mitigating

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $2,224.

Scan for this in your stack

Free · runs locally
dbcve dependency scanner

Check whether your project pulls in CVE-2022-20494 — 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-2022-20494 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