CVE-2023-20618
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 · uneditedIn vcu, there is a possible memory corruption due to improper locking. This could lead to local escalation of privilege with System execution privileges needed. User interaction is not needed for exploitation. Patch ID: ALPS07519184; Issue ID: ALPS07519184.
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 confidenceA memory corruption vulnerability exists in the VCU (Video Codec Unit) driver due to improper locking mechanisms. This could allow a local attacker with System execution privileges to escalate privileges to higher levels, without requiring user interaction.
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= 11.0= 12.0= 13.0CVSS 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 checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Verify Android versionRun 'getprop ro.build.version.release' or check Settings > About Phone > Android versionAffected if The version displayed is 11.0, 12.0, or 13.0 exactly
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Check for VCU driver presenceLook for vcu driver module in /proc/modules, /sys/module/, or check dmesg for VCU-related kernel messagesAffected if VCU driver module is loaded or present on the device
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Confirm patch ALPS07519184 is appliedCheck vendor-specific system property (often via 'getprop') or review vendor security patch level in Settings > About Phone > Security patch levelAffected if The patch is not shown as applied or the security patch level is earlier than the fix date
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Verify attacker prerequisiteDetermine if an attacker already has System-level code execution on the deviceAffected if System-level execution privilege is present (this vulnerability provides escalation FROM System TO root, not initial access)
The device is affected if it runs Android 11.0, 12.0, or 13.0, has the VCU driver present, and does not have vendor patch ALPS07519184 applied.
Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.
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 · scopedApply vendor patch ALPS07519184 which corrects the improper locking in the VCU driver to prevent memory corruption and privilege escalation.
- Check your Android device's security patch level in Settings > About Phone > Security Patch Level
- Verify if your device manufacturer has released a security update that includes the MediaTek patch ALPS07519184
- If an update is available, apply it through Settings > System > Software Update
- After updating, confirm the security patch level includes the fix for this vulnerability
- For enterprise or managed devices, ensure the MDM/EMM solution deploys the latest MediaTek security patches
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
- Consultation4.0 h
- Implementation6.0 h
- Testing8.0 h
- Review / QA4.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $6,080.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2023-20618 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.
References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.
Primary sourcesPractitioner notes
ContributedPeer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2023-20618 in production — separate from our analysis above.
The advisory tells you what broke. It rarely tells you what actually worked. If you’ve dealt with this one, that detail is what the next engineer is searching for.
- The version that genuinely resolved it — not the one the vendor claimed
- A config change or rule that shut the vector down
- A gotcha in the upgrade path that cost you an afternoon
No notes yet
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- 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
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