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AndroidOperating system · Google

CVE-2022-20597

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 ppmpu_set of ppmpu.c, there is a possible EoP due to an integer overflow. 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-243480506References: 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 integer overflow vulnerability exists in the ppmpu_set function within the Android kernel's ppmpu.c module. The overflow can be exploited to achieve elevation of privilege (EoP) without requiring user interaction or additional execution privileges.

MitigationApply the Android security patch level containing the fix for A-243480506 to the affected kernel versions. This is a kernel-level fix requiring a system update.

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. Determine Android Security Patch Level
    Go to Settings > About Phone > Security Patch Level and note the date. Alternatively, run 'getprop ro.build.version.security_patch' via ADB shell.
    Affected if The Security Patch Level is earlier than the patch containing fix A-243480506 (check your Android security bulletin for the specific date).
  2. Identify the kernel version
    Run 'uname -r' or 'cat /proc/version' via ADB shell to obtain the kernel version string.
    Affected if The kernel version predates the fix for A-243480506. Compare against the fixed kernel version in the Android security bulletin.
  3. Check if ppmpu support is enabled in the kernel
    Examine the kernel configuration file (usually at /boot/config-[version] or /proc/config.gz) for 'CONFIG_PPMPU' or similar options. Run 'grep -i ppmpu /proc/config.gz' if available.
    Affected if The kernel has ppmpu support enabled (CONFIG_PPMPU=y or =m). Vulnerability only applies when this feature is present.
  4. Verify the vulnerable ppmpu.c code exists
    Check if the file /sys/kernel/debug/ppmpu or similar debug interface exists. This indicates the ppmpu subsystem is loaded. Run 'ls /sys/kernel/debug/ | grep -i ppmpu' via ADB with root access.
    Affected if The ppmpu debug interface exists, indicating the vulnerable code path is accessible in the running kernel.

The device is affected if it runs a kernel built before the fix for A-243480506 AND has ppmpu support enabled, as indicated by the kernel configuration and accessible ppmpu interfaces.

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 level containing the fix for A-243480506 to the affected kernel versions. This is a kernel-level fix requiring a system update.

Recommended fix Moderate confidence

Android Security Patch Level 2022-12-01 or later (containing A-243480506 fix)

  1. 1. Apply the Android Security Patch Level that includes the fix for CVE-2022-20597. This vulnerability was addressed in the Android monthly security update.
  2. 2. Ensure the device is running Android Security Patch Level 2022-12-01 or later, which contains the kernel fix for this integer overflow in ppmpu.c
  3. 3. Verify the patch has been applied by checking the Android Security Patch Level in Settings > About Phone > Security Patch Level
  4. 4. For kernel-level verification, confirm the ppmpu.c file contains the patched version that properly handles integer overflow in the ppmpu_set function
  5. 5. If OTA updates are not available, manually update the device to a release that includes the December 2022 Android Security Update or later
Caveat Applying monthly security patches typically has minimal risk; ensure device has adequate battery before updating

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

Fix this in Android Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation3.0 h
  • Implementation6.0 h
  • Testing5.0 h
  • Review / QA3.0 h
17.0 hours of engineering $2,970
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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-2022-20597 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