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AndroidOperating system · Google

CVE-2023-20757

MEDIUM · 6.7 CVSS v3.1 Published 2023-07-04
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 cmdq, 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: ALPS07636133; Issue ID: ALPS07636133.

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

In the cmdq (Command Queue) driver, a missing bounds check allows an out-of-bounds write vulnerability. This enables local privilege escalation to System level without requiring user interaction, as the vulnerability can be exploited directly by a local attacker.

MitigationApply vendor patch ALPS07636133 which adds the missing bounds check to prevent the out-of-bounds write. Since this is a kernel driver vulnerability, the patch should be applied as part of the regular firmware/security update cycle.

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. Verify Android version
    Go to Settings > About Phone > Android version (or run 'getprop ro.build.version.release' via adb shell)
    Affected if The displayed version is exactly 12.0 or 13.0
  2. Check kernel version and build date
    Run 'uname -a' and 'getprop ro.build.version.security_patch' via adb shell to identify the kernel and security patch level
    Affected if Kernel is from an unpatched build; security patch level predates the vendor patch ALPS07636133
  3. Identify cmdq driver presence
    Run 'ls -la /dev/mtk_cmdq' or check kernel modules via 'lsmod | grep cmdq' and inspect /sys/kernel/debug/cmdq* if accessible
    Affected if The cmdq driver device node or module exists and the system has not received the bounds-check fix
  4. Verify vendor security bulletin
    Check the device vendor's security update bulletin for CVE-2023-20757 or review the applied security patch level in Settings > Security update
    Affected if The device security patch level is earlier than the update containing ALPS07636133

A user is affected if their Android device runs version 12.0 or 13.0 and has not received the vendor patch ALPS07636133 that adds the bounds check to the cmdq driver.

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 ALPS07636133 which adds the missing bounds check to prevent the out-of-bounds write. Since this is a kernel driver vulnerability, the patch should be applied as part of the regular firmware/security update cycle.

Recommended fix Moderate confidence
  1. 1. Contact your Android device manufacturer (OEM) to verify if a security patch containing MediaTek ALPS07636133 has been released for your specific device model.
  2. 2. Check the Google Android Security Bulletin for the month when this vulnerability was addressed - MediaTek patches are typically included in Android's monthly security update level.
  3. 3. Apply the latest available Android security update for your device, ensuring it includes the fix for ALPS07636133.
  4. 4. Verify the patch has been applied by checking your device's security patch level in 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
  • Implementation2.0 h
  • Testing6.0 h
  • Review / QA3.0 h
14.0 hours of engineering $2,400
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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-2023-20757 in production — separate from our analysis above.

No notes yet

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What this is

A place for practitioners to share what actually worked: a mitigation you’ve tested, a configuration change, a version- or environment-specific caveat, or a link to a verified patch. The most useful notes rise to the top as peers upvote them, so the signal stays high.

What belongs here
  • 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
  • No spam, self-promotion, credentials, or personal data