dbcve.org
YoctoApplication · Linuxfoundation

CVE-2023-32855

MEDIUM · 6.7 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 →
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 aee, there is a possible escalation of privilege due to a missing permission check. This could lead to local escalation of privilege with System execution privileges needed. User interaction is not needed for exploitation. Patch ID: ALPS07909204; Issue ID: ALPS07909204.

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 permission check in the aee (Application Event Executor - a MediaTek system service) component allows a local attacker with System execution privileges to escalate to higher privileges. The vulnerability stems from insufficient authorization validation within the aee daemon, enabling privilege escalation without user interaction.

MitigationApply the vendor patch ALPS07909204 via system OTA update. Since this is a MediaTek system component, contact the device manufacturer for the patched system image.

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= 3.3= 4.0
Rdk BApplication
Affected:= 2022q3
AndroidOperating system
Affected:= 12.0= 13.0
OpenwrtOperating system
Affected:= 19.07.0= 21.02

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 MediaTek chipset usage
    Check system information for MediaTek processor or chipset identifiers (e.g., via 'cat /proc/cpuinfo', 'dmesg', or system property 'ro.hardware' or 'ro.chipname'). This vulnerability affects only MediaTek-based devices.
    Affected if The device uses a MediaTek SoC (System-on-Chip). If the system uses a different vendor (Qualcomm, Samsung Exynos, etc.), this specific vulnerability does not apply.
  2. Verify aee daemon presence
    Check if the aee (Application Event Executor) service exists on the system. Look for '/system/bin/aee' or '/vendor/bin/aee' or check running processes for 'aee' or 'aee_dump' via 'ps -A | grep -i aee'.
    Affected if The aee daemon is present and running on the device.
  3. Confirm Android version
    Check the Android version by running 'getprop ro.build.version.release' or viewing 'Settings > About Phone > Android version'.
    Affected if The device runs Android 12.0 or Android 13.0, as listed in the affected versions for Google Android.
  4. Confirm Yocto version (if applicable)
    Check the Yocto version via 'cat /etc/lsb-release' or 'cat /etc/os-release' or check the kernel boot parameters.
    Affected if The system runs Yocto version 2.6, 3.3, or 4.0.
  5. Confirm OpenWRT version (if applicable)
    Check the OpenWRT version via 'cat /etc/openwrt_version' or 'cat /etc/os-release'.
    Affected if The system runs OpenWRT version 19.07.0 or 21.02.
  6. Check for vendor patch ALPS07909204
    Query the system build or patch level for evidence of the fix. On Android, check 'getprop ro.build.version.security_patch' or review OTA update history. The presence of the patch indicates remediation.
    Affected if The system patch level predates the fix (ALPS07909204), meaning the missing permission check vulnerability remains unpatched.

A device is affected if it uses a MediaTek chipset, runs the listed vulnerable Android/Yocto/OpenWRT versions, contains the aee daemon, and lacks the vendor security patch ALPS07909204.

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.

From vendor data
Mitigation available No clean upgrade yet — mitigate in the meantime
Mitigation

Apply the vendor patch ALPS07909204 via system OTA update. Since this is a MediaTek system component, contact the device manufacturer for the patched system image.

Fix this in Yocto Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation4.0 h
  • Implementation2.0 h
  • Testing8.0 h
  • Review / QA4.0 h
18.0 hours of engineering $3,080
Get help mitigating

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $4,928.

Scan for this in your stack

Free · runs locally
dbcve dependency scanner

Check whether your project pulls in CVE-2023-32855 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.

Get it on GitHub Scan in the browser

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-2023-32855 in production — separate from our analysis above.

No notes yet

Be the first to add a field note for this CVE — a mitigation you’ve verified, a version caveat, or a link to a working fix. Sign in above to contribute.

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