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AndroidOperating system · Google

CVE-2022-20591

MEDIUM · 5.5 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 →
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 ppmpu_set of ppmpu.c, there is a possible information disclosure due to a logic error in the code. This could lead to local information disclosure with no additional execution privileges needed. User interaction is not needed for exploitation.Product: AndroidVersions: Android kernelAndroid ID: A-238939706References: 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 logic error in the ppmpu_set function in ppmpu.c (likely related to Power Management Processing Unit) allows a local attacker to access sensitive information without requiring elevated privileges or user interaction. The vulnerability stems from incorrect conditional logic that fails to properly restrict access to protected data.

MitigationApply the vendor-supplied kernel security patch for Android (Android ID A-238939706) which corrects the logic in ppmpu_set. As this is a kernel-level vulnerability, devices will require a system update to receive the fix.

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
None
Availability
None

CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N

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 and note the date. The fix for CVE-2022-20591 (Android ID A-238939706) was included in the December 2022 Android Security Bulletin or later.
    Affected if The Security Patch Level is earlier than December 2022, indicating the fix has not been applied.
  2. Verify ppmpu kernel driver presence
    Check if the ppmpu driver is present in the kernel by examining /proc/config.gz (if available) or checking /sys/module/ for a ppmpu-related module. Use: ls /sys/module/ | grep -i ppmpu
    Affected if A ppmpu-related kernel module exists and is loaded on the device.
  3. Inspect ppmpu_set function in kernel source
    If you have access to the device kernel source or can extract it, locate ppmpu.c and examine the conditional logic in the ppmpu_set function. Look for the access control check that should restrict access to protected data.
    Affected if The conditional logic in ppmpu_set fails to properly restrict access - the code allows unprivileged access where it should deny it.
  4. Check kernel version against affected range
    Run 'uname -r' or check /proc/version to obtain the kernel version. Compare against known vulnerable kernel versions for Android.
    Affected if The kernel version is from before December 2022 and the security patch has not been applied.

A device is affected if it runs Android with a Security Patch Level earlier than the December 2022 bulletin that includes the fix for Android ID A-238939706, and the ppmpu driver is present in the kernel.

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 (Android ID A-238939706) which corrects the logic in ppmpu_set. As this is a kernel-level vulnerability, devices will require a system update to receive the fix.

Recommended fix Moderate confidence

Latest available Android security patch level (typically delivered via monthly security updates; check Android Security Bulletin for the specific release containing CVE-2022-20591 fix)

  1. Apply the latest Android security patch level available for your device from your device manufacturer's security update
  2. For Pixel devices, ensure you have the latest system update installed which includes the fix for A-238939706
  3. Verify the patch level in Settings > About Phone > Android security patch level reflects a level after the fix was released
Caveat Security updates are cumulative; applying the latest patch should not introduce breaking changes but verify device compatibility for your specific model

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

Fix this in Android Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation4.0 h
  • Testing6.0 h
  • Review / QA3.0 h
15.0 hours of engineering $2,560
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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-2022-20591 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