dbcve.org
AndroidOperating system · Google

CVE-2022-20586

HIGH · 7.8 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 →
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 valid_out_of_special_sec_dram_addr of drm_access_control.c, there is a possible EoP due to improper input validation. This could lead to local escalation of privilege with no additional execution privileges needed. User interaction is not needed for exploitation.Product: AndroidVersions: Android kernelAndroid ID: A-238718854References: 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 local privilege escalation vulnerability exists in the Android kernel's DRM (Direct Rendering Manager) access control module. The function valid_out_of_special_sec_dram_addr in drm_access_control.c performs improper input validation when checking special secure DRAM addresses, allowing a local attacker to escalate privileges without requiring additional execution privileges or user interaction.

MitigationApply the vendor-supplied kernel security patch for Android (referenced by Android ID A-238718854) and ensure devices receive the latest Android security update level.

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 Android environment
    Run 'getprop ro.build.id' or check Settings > About Phone to identify the Android build
    Affected if The device is not running Google Android (e.g., custom ROMs, other Linux distributions)
  2. Check Android security patch level
    Run 'getprop ro.build.version.security_patch' to get the installed security patch date
    Affected if The security patch level is earlier than the February 2023 Android security update (when this vulnerability was addressed)
  3. Check kernel version
    Run 'uname -r' or 'cat /proc/version' to identify the running kernel version
    Affected if The kernel version corresponds to an unpatched build (compare against vendor patch dates for A-238718854)
  4. Verify DRM access control module presence
    Run 'ls /sys/module/drm*' or check /proc/modules for drm_access_control related modules
    Affected if The DRM access control module (drm_access_control) is loaded and the kernel remains unpatched
  5. Confirm patch status via vendor
    Contact device vendor or check vendor security advisory for Android ID A-238718854 patch availability
    Affected if The device vendor has not released or applied the specific patch for this vulnerability

A device is affected if it runs Google Android with a security patch level prior to the February 2023 update and has the vulnerable drm_access_control module present without the vendor-supplied patch for A-238718854.

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 vendor-supplied kernel security patch for Android (referenced by Android ID A-238718854) and ensure devices receive the latest Android security update level.

Recommended fix Moderate confidence

Latest Android version with security patch level including the fix for CVE-2022-20586 (A-238718854)

  1. 1. Navigate to Settings on the Android device
  2. 2. Tap on 'System' or 'About phone'
  3. 3. Tap on 'Software update' or 'System update'
  4. 4. Check for updates and download any available security updates
  5. 5. Restart the device after the update is installed
  6. 6. Verify the Android security patch level is later than the one containing the fix for A-238718854

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

Fix this in Android Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation4.0 h
  • Implementation8.0 h
  • Testing12.0 h
  • Review / QA4.0 h
28.0 hours of engineering $4,760
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Scan for this in your stack

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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-2022-20586 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