dbcve.org
AndroidOperating system · Google

CVE-2023-32851

HIGH · 7.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2023-12-04
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
81/100
Remediation priority · High
No privileges

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 decoder, there is a possible out of bounds write due to a missing bounds check. This could lead to local escalation of privilege with no additional execution privileges needed. User interaction is needed for exploitation. Patch ID: ALPS08016652; Issue ID: ALPS08016652.

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 a decoder component allows an out-of-bounds write, which can be exploited for local privilege escalation. User interaction is required to trigger the vulnerability, likely through a specially crafted media file being processed by the decoder.

MitigationApply the MediaTek patch ALPS08016652 to the affected decoder component. Prioritize deployment given the high CVSS score and local privilege escalation potential.

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:= 11.0= 12.0

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
None
User interaction
Required
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/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. Check Android version
    Go to Settings > About Phone > Android version or run 'getprop ro.build.version.release' in ADB shell
    Affected if The version is exactly 11.0 or 12.0 (note: the affected versions listed use equals signs, indicating exact version matches)
  2. Identify MediaTek chipset
    Run 'getprop ro.hardware' or 'getprop ro.mtk_platform' in ADB shell, or check Settings > About Phone > Chipset info
    Affected if Device uses a MediaTek chipset (the patch ALPS08016652 is a MediaTek patch)
  3. Check for vulnerable decoder component
    Inspect running media processes: 'ps -A | grep -i media' or check /vendor/lib/ for decoder libraries (*.so files in mediacodec or multimedia folders)
    Affected if MediaTek decoder libraries are present on the device
  4. Verify patch level
    Run 'getprop ro.build.version.security.patch' or check Settings > Security patch level in About Phone
    Affected if Security patch level is earlier than the date when ALPS08016652 was applied (MediaTek patch date not specified in CVE data)

A device is likely affected if it runs Android 11.0 or 12.0 on a MediaTek chipset and has not received the MediaTek security patch ALPS08016652 for the decoder 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 the MediaTek patch ALPS08016652 to the affected decoder component. Prioritize deployment given the high CVSS score and local privilege escalation potential.

Recommended fix Moderate confidence

Latest Android security patch level (vendor-specific, typically included in Android 13 or later monthly security updates)

  1. Check for and install the latest Android security update for your device by going to Settings > System > Security Update (or Settings > About Phone > Software Update)
  2. Ensure your device has the latest Android Security Patch Level (ASPL) installed - vendors typically include MediaTek decoder fixes in monthly security bulletins
  3. If your device no longer receives official security updates, consider upgrading to a device that receives regular Android security updates
  4. For enterprise/IoT devices using affected MediaTek chipsets, contact your device manufacturer for the specific firmware update containing patch ALPS08016652
Caveat Device must support vendor security updates; older devices may not receive the fix

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

Fix this in Android Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation4.0 h
  • Implementation8.0 h
  • Testing12.0 h
  • Review / QA4.0 h
28.0 hours of engineering $4,760
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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-2023-32851 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