dbcve.org
AndroidOperating system · Google

CVE-2022-20576

MEDIUM · 6.7 CVSS v3.1 Published 2022-12-16
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
69/100
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 externalOnRequest of rilapplication.cpp, there is a possible out of bounds write due to a missing bounds check. This could lead to local escalation of privilege with System execution privileges needed. User interaction is not needed for exploitation.Product: AndroidVersions: Android kernelAndroid ID: A-239701761References: 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

Out-of-bounds write vulnerability in Android's Radio Interface Layer (RIL) component, specifically in the externalOnRequest function of rilapplication.cpp. The vulnerability stems from a missing bounds check that allows writing beyond allocated buffer boundaries. A local attacker with System-level execution privileges could exploit this for privilege escalation.

MitigationApply the Android security patch for the relevant Android version. This is a platform-level vulnerability fixed through Google's monthly security updates, not through customer-side code changes.

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

CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:H/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. Check Android security patch level
    Go to Settings > About Phone > Security Patch Level or run 'getprop ro.build.version.security_patch' via ADB
    Affected if The patch level is earlier than December 2022 or the CVE publication date indicates the fix is not applied
  2. Verify Android version
    Go to Settings > About Phone > Android version or run 'getprop ro.build.version.release' via ADB
    Affected if Any version of Android is listed as affected per the CVE; however, versions without the December 2022 or later security update remain vulnerable
  3. Confirm RIL component presence
    Check for the presence of libril.so or rild daemon by running 'ls /system/lib64/libril.so' or 'ps -A | grep rild' via ADB
    Affected if The RIL component exists (which it does on all standard Android phones); the vulnerability is present if the security patch is not applied
  4. Check system privileges access
    Determine if any untrusted applications have System-level execution privileges via 'dumpsys package' for installed packages with SYSTEM privileges, noting that exploitation requires System-level access
    Affected if An attacker with System-level privileges exists on the device and the security patch is not applied

The environment is affected if the Android security patch level is earlier than the December 2022 Android Security Bulletin that addressed CVE-2022-20576, since this is a platform-level flaw in the RIL component requiring system-level access to exploit.

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 security patch for the relevant Android version. This is a platform-level vulnerability fixed through Google's monthly security updates, not through customer-side code changes.

Recommended fix Moderate confidence

Latest available Android version with February 2023 Security Patch Level or later

  1. Check current Android version by navigating to Settings > About Phone > Android version
  2. Ensure the device has the latest system updates installed by checking Settings > System > Software Update or Settings > About Phone > Software Update
  3. Apply the February 2023 Android Security Patch Level (SPL) or later, which contains the fix for A-239701761
  4. Verify the patch was applied by checking Settings > About Phone > Security patch level - it should show February 2023 or later
  5. If the device manufacturer has not released an update containing this patch, consider upgrading to a device model that receives regular security updates
Caveat Ensure device compatibility and backup data before upgrading; some older devices may not receive the February 2023 patch

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

Fix this in Android Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation4.0 h
  • Testing8.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
14.0 hours of engineering $2,360
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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-2022-20576 in production — separate from our analysis above.

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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