dbcve.org
YoctoApplication · Linuxfoundation

CVE-2023-20831

MEDIUM · 6.7 CVSS v3.1 Published 2023-09-04
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 gps, 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: ALPS08014144; Issue ID: ALPS08014162.

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

A missing bounds check in the GPS driver allows an out-of-bounds write, enabling a local attacker with System-level privileges to escalate to higher privileges. The vulnerability requires System execution privileges to exploit and needs no user interaction.

MitigationApply patch ALPS08014144 (or equivalent vendor update) to address the missing bounds check in the GPS driver. Verify the GPS functionality remains operational after patching.

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
YoctoApplication
Affected:= 2.6
Rdk BApplication
Affected:= 2022q3
AndroidOperating system
Affected:= 12.0= 13.0
OpenwrtOperating system
Affected:= 19.07.0= 21.02.0

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. Identify your OS product and version
    Run 'cat /etc/os-release' or check system settings for the exact OS name and version (e.g., Yocto 2.6, Android 12.0/13.0, OpenWRT 19.07.0/21.02.0, RDK B 2022q3)
    Affected if The installed OS and version matches one of the affected products and versions listed in the CVE
  2. Determine if GPS hardware is present
    Check system hardware information via 'ls /dev/ttyUSB*', 'ls /dev/ttyACM*', or check 'dmesg | grep -i gps' for GPS device detection logs
    Affected if GPS hardware is detected on the system, indicating the vulnerable GPS driver may be loaded
  3. Verify GPS driver module status
    Run 'lsmod' or check '/proc/modules' for GPS-related kernel modules (commonly named 'gps', 'gnss', or vendor-specific GPS modules)
    Affected if A GPS driver module is loaded and active in the kernel
  4. Check for System-level execution context
    Review running processes and services running with System privileges (root or system user) using 'ps -ef' or check service configurations
    Affected if Services or processes are running with System-level privileges, which is required for the attacker to exploit this vulnerability

You are affected if your device runs one of the listed affected OS versions AND has GPS hardware with an active driver, since the attacker needs System-level privileges to exploit the missing bounds check in the GPS 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 patch ALPS08014144 (or equivalent vendor update) to address the missing bounds check in the GPS driver. Verify the GPS functionality remains operational after patching.

Recommended fix Low confidence
  1. Contact your device manufacturer (OEM) to request a firmware update that includes MediaTek patch ALPS08014144
  2. Verify with the manufacturer that the GPS component has been updated to include the fix for Issue ID ALPS08014162
  3. For Android devices, check for system updates through the device Settings > System > Software Update menu
  4. For Yocto-based embedded devices, rebuild the system image with updated MediaTek GPS firmware packages
  5. For OpenWRT and RDK-B devices, apply vendor-provided firmware updates that incorporate the MediaTek GPS security patch
Caveat Firmware updates for底层 components may have unintended side effects; test thoroughly in a non-production environment before deploying

Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.

Fix this in Yocto Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation4.0 h
  • Testing3.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
10.0 hours of engineering $1,750
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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-2023-20831 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