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AndroidOperating system · Google

CVE-2023-20670

MEDIUM · 6.7 CVSS v3.1 Published 2023-04-06
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
69/100
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 audio, there is a possible out of bounds write due to a missing bounds check. This could lead to local escalation of privilege with System execution privileges needed. User interaction is not needed for exploitation. Patch ID: ALPS07648710; Issue ID: ALPS07648710.

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

An out-of-bounds write vulnerability in the Android audio subsystem caused by a missing bounds check allows a locally privileged attacker (with System execution privileges) to escalate privileges to higher permissions without user interaction. The flaw exists in the audio driver/component where insufficient boundary validation permits writing data beyond allocated memory buffers.

MitigationApply vendor patch ALPS07648710 to the audio component; this is a MediaTek/Android platform vulnerability requiring system-level patch deployment.

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:= 12.0= 13.0

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
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 checks

Work through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.

  1. Confirm Android version is 12.0 or 13.0
    Check system settings under Settings > About Phone > Android version, or run 'getprop ro.build.version.release' via ADB shell
    Affected if The reported Android version is exactly 12.0 or 13.0
  2. Verify device uses a MediaTek chipset
    Check device info via 'getprop ro.hardware' or 'cat /proc/cpuinfo' to see if MediaTek/MTK hardware is present
    Affected if The device contains a MediaTek audio component (the vulnerability is specific to MediaTek implementations)
  3. Check the applied system patch level
    Run 'getprop ro.build.version.security_patch' or check Settings > About Phone > Security patch level
    Affected if The security patch level is earlier than the vendor fix ALPS07648710, indicating the MediaTek audio fix has not been applied
  4. Confirm System-level execution privileges exist
    Verify the attacker would need System user privileges - check if untrusted apps can access audio driver interfaces via 'dumpsys audio' or check SELinux policies
    Affected if The device allows a locally privileged attacker with System execution privileges to interact with the vulnerable audio driver paths

The device is affected if it runs Android 12.0 or 13.0, contains a MediaTek audio component, and has a security patch level prior to the vendor fix ALPS07648710.

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 vendor patch ALPS07648710 to the audio component; this is a MediaTek/Android platform vulnerability requiring system-level patch deployment.

Recommended fix Moderate confidence

Android 14 (if supported by device) or latest available monthly security update from device manufacturer

  1. Check if your device manufacturer has released a security update that includes MediaTek patch ID ALPS07648710
  2. Apply the latest Android security patch update for your device via Settings > System > Security Update > Check for updates
  3. If no update is available from your device manufacturer, contact the device vendor or Mediatek for the patched driver version ALPS07648710
  4. Verify the installed security patch level includes the fix by checking Settings > About Phone > Security Patch Level

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
  • Testing8.0 h
  • Review / QA3.0 h
20.0 hours of engineering $3,420
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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-2023-20670 in production — separate from our analysis above.

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What this is

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What belongs here
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  • Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
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