Linux KernelOperating system · Linux
CVE-2023-20663
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 wlan, there is a possible out of bounds write due to an integer overflow. This could lead to local escalation of privilege with System execution privileges needed. User interaction is not needed for exploitation. Patch ID: ALPS07560741; Issue ID: ALPS07560741.
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 confidenceA vulnerability exists in the WLAN driver where an integer overflow condition can cause an out-of-bounds memory write. When arithmetic operations produce values exceeding the data type's capacity, the wrapped value is incorrectly used as a size or offset parameter, allowing writes beyond buffer boundaries. This enables local privilege escalation from the wlan driver context to System privileges without 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
Linux KernelOperating system
= 4.19= 12.0= 13.0= 3.1= 3.3= 4.0CVSS 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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Check kernel versionRun `uname -r` or read `/proc/version` to determine the running kernel versionAffected if Kernel version is exactly 4.19 (note: other kernel versions may have backported the fix)
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Check Android versionRead `/system/build.prop` and look for `ro.build.version.release` or check `getprop ro.build.version.release`Affected if Android version is 12.0 or 13.0 (these versions ship with the vulnerable kernel/driver)
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Check Yocto versionRead `/etc/os-release` and look for `VERSION_ID` or check the deployed yocto version metadataAffected if Yocto version is 3.1, 3.3, or 4.0
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Identify MediaTek WLAN driver presenceCheck for loaded wireless driver modules: run `lsmod | grep -i mtk` or examine `/sys/module/` for MediaTek WLAN-related modules (such as `mtk_wmt`, `mtk_stp`, or similar wlan drivers)Affected if A MediaTek WLAN driver module is loaded and the kernel/Android/Yocto version matches the affected ranges
Your environment is affected if you are running Linux Kernel 4.19, Android 12.0/13.0, or Yocto 3.1/3.3/4.0 with a MediaTek WLAN driver loaded, as the integer overflow vulnerability exists in that specific driver context.
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.
From vendor dataApply vendor patch ALPS07560741, which adds proper bounds checking to prevent the integer overflow from causing out-of-bounds writes. This is a MediaTek/ALPS platform vulnerability requiring firmware update.
Fix this in Linux Kernel
Scoped from the published advisory
- Consultation4.0 h
- Implementation8.0 h
- Testing12.0 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 $7,616.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2023-20663 — 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-2023-20663 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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- Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
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