CVE-2023-20695
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 preloader, 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: ALPS07734012 / ALPS07874363 (For MT6880, MT6890, MT6980 and MT6990 only); Issue ID: ALPS07734012 / ALPS07874363 (For MT6880, MT6890, MT6980 and MT6990 only).
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 confidenceIn the MediaTek preloader (first-stage bootloader) for chipsets MT6880, MT6890, MT6980, and MT6990, an out of bounds write vulnerability exists due to a missing bounds check, allowing local privilege escalation to System level 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= 13.0= 19.07.0= 21.02.0CVSS 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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Identify MediaTek chipset modelCheck the device specifications or use commands like 'lspci', 'lsusb', or check /proc/cpuinfo to identify the chipset model. Look specifically for MT6880, MT6890, MT6980, or MT6990.Affected if Chipset is one of MT6880, MT6890, MT6980, or MT6990 and is running affected software versions
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Check Android versionOn Android devices, go to Settings > About Phone > Android version, or use 'getprop ro.build.version.release' via ADB shell.Affected if Android version equals 13.0 on a device with the affected MediaTek chipset
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Check OpenWrt versionOn OpenWrt devices, check /etc/os-release or run 'cat /etc/openwrt_version' or 'ubus call system board'.Affected if OpenWrt version equals 19.07.0 or 21.02.0 on a device with the affected MediaTek chipset
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Inspect preloader firmware versionAccess the MediaTek preloader through bootloader mode (often requires specific key combinations or 'fastboot oem version' commands), or check OEM documentation for the preloader build date/version.Affected if Preloader firmware version is older than the patched versions ALPS07734012 or ALPS07874363, or version cannot be determined
Device is affected if it uses MediaTek chipset MT6880, MT6890, MT6980, or MT6990 AND runs Android 13.0 or OpenWrt 19.07.0/21.02.0 with an unpatched preloader firmware.
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 ALPS07734012 / ALPS07874363 to the MediaTek preloader firmware; this is delivered through OEM OTA updates. Prioritize patching on devices with elevated local access.
- Consultation6.0 h
- Implementation12.0 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 $8,448.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2023-20695 — 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-2023-20695 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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