CVE-2023-20739
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 a logic error. This could lead to local escalation of privilege with System execution privileges needed. User interaction is not needed for exploitation. Patch ID: ALPS07559819; Issue ID: ALPS07559819.
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 logic error in MediaTek's Video Codec Unit (VCU) causes memory corruption that can be exploited for local privilege escalation. An attacker with system-level access can trigger the vulnerability without user interaction, potentially elevating privileges. This affects MediaTek chipsets running the vulnerable VCU firmware.
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= 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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Check Android versionGo to Settings > About Phone > Android version, or run 'getprop ro.build.version.release' via ADB shellAffected if The version listed is exactly 12.0 or 13.0
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Identify the chipset manufacturerRun 'getprop ro.hardware' or 'getprop ro.chipname' via ADB shell, or check under Settings > About Phone > Chipset/ProcessorAffected if The chipset is from MediaTek (often shows as 'mt' followed by numbers, or 'mediatek')
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Confirm VCU (Video Codec Unit) presenceCheck for VCU-related kernel modules or firmware files. On Android, examine /vendor/firmware/ or run 'ls /vendor/firmware/ | grep -i vcu' via ADB shellAffected if VCU firmware files exist on the device, indicating the vulnerable component is present
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Check VCU firmware version if accessibleExamine the VCU firmware file metadata or run 'getprop | grep vcu' via ADB shell to see if version information is exposedAffected if The VCU firmware version cannot be verified as patched (the patch ALPS07559819 is not applied) or version info is unavailable
A device is affected if it runs Android 12.0 or 13.0 on a MediaTek chipset with the VCU component present and the ALPS07559819 patch has not been 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.
From vendor dataApply the MediaTek security patch ALPS07559819 through firmware update. Organizations should consult MediaTek's security advisory for affected device lists and update schedules.
- Consultation4.0 h
- Implementation2.0 h
- Testing6.0 h
- Review / QA3.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $4,160.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2023-20739 — 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-2023-20739 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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