dbcve.org
AndroidOperating system · Google

CVE-2023-32821

MEDIUM · 6.7 CVSS v3.1 Published 2023-10-02
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 video, there is a possible out of bounds write due to a permissions bypass. This could lead to local escalation of privilege with System execution privileges needed. User interaction is not needed for exploitation. Patch ID: ALPS08013430; Issue ID: ALPS08013433.

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 permissions bypass in the MediaTek video component allows an out-of-bounds write, enabling local privilege escalation from System execution privileges. The vulnerability is fixed via patch ALPS08013430 (issue ALPS08013433).

MitigationApply vendor patch ALPS08013430 to the MediaTek firmware. Since exploitation requires System-level access, prioritize patching systems with elevated local access and monitor for any unusual video driver activity.

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 MediaTek chipset is present
    Check device hardware information via Settings > About Phone > SoC details, or run 'getprop ro.hardware' or check /proc/cpuinfo for MediaTek identifiers
    Affected if The device uses a MediaTek processor and the Android version matches 12.0 or 13.0
  2. Verify Android version is 12.0 or 13.0
    Check Settings > About Phone > Android version, or run 'getprop ro.build.version.release'
    Affected if The Android version is exactly 12.0 or 13.0 (not 12L, 13L, or other point releases)
  3. Check MediaTek firmware patch level
    Query the MediaTek patch level via 'getprop ro.build.version.mtk' or check the MediaTek security patch level in Settings > About Phone > Security patch level
    Affected if The MediaTek firmware patch level is earlier than ALPS08013430 or the patch level cannot be verified
  4. Verify video component driver status
    Check if the MediaTek video driver (mdss, mtk_vcodec, or similar video component modules) is loaded via 'lsmod' or check /proc/modules
    Affected if The MediaTek video driver module is loaded on a vulnerable Android version (12.0 or 13.0) without the vendor patch ALPS08013430

A device is affected if it runs Android 12.0 or 13.0 on MediaTek hardware and the MediaTek firmware patch ALPS08013430 has not been applied, as exploitation requires System-level access to the vulnerable video component.

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 ALPS08013430 to the MediaTek firmware. Since exploitation requires System-level access, prioritize patching systems with elevated local access and monitor for any unusual video driver activity.

Recommended fix Moderate confidence

Android Security Patch Level incorporating MediaTek ALPS08013430 fix (contact OEM for specific version)

  1. 1. Check if your Android device has the latest system update installed by going to Settings > System > System Update
  2. 2. Ensure Google Play system updates are current via Settings > Security > Google Play system update
  3. 3. Contact your device manufacturer (OEM) to confirm they have released a security patch incorporating MediaTek patch ALPS08013430
  4. 4. If available, apply the OEM-specific security update that addresses CVE-2023-32821
  5. 5. Verify the patch was applied by checking the Android Security Patch Level in Settings > About Phone > Android version (should show a date after the fix release)
Caveat OEM updates may vary in timing; not all Android 12.0/13.0 devices on MediaTek chipsets may receive the fix

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

Fix this in Android Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation3.0 h
  • Implementation4.0 h
  • Testing6.0 h
  • Review / QA3.0 h
16.0 hours of engineering $2,760
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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-2023-32821 in production — separate from our analysis above.

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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