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YoctoApplication · Linuxfoundation

CVE-2023-32871

MEDIUM · 5.3 CVSS v3.1 Published 2024-05-06
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
55/100
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 DA, there is a possible permission bypass due to an incorrect status check. This could lead to local escalation of privilege with no additional execution privileges needed. User interaction is not needed for exploitation. Patch ID: ALPS08355514; Issue ID: ALPS08355514.

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 MediaTek's DA (Device Administration) component, an incorrect status check allows a local attacker to bypass permission checks, enabling privilege escalation without requiring additional execution privileges or user interaction. The vulnerability stems from improper validation of system state during permission verification.

MitigationApply the vendor patch ALPS08355514 to the MediaTek ALPS firmware. Organizations using affected MediaTek-based devices should coordinate with their device OEMs or chipset vendors to obtain and deploy the patched firmware version.

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:= 3.3= 4.0
Rdk BApplication
Affected:= 2022q3
AndroidOperating system
Affected:= 12.0= 13.0= 14.0= 15.0
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
Low
User interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
Low
Integrity
Low
Availability
Low

CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:L/A:L

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 hardware. On Android, run 'getprop' or check /proc/cpuinfo. On Linux-based systems (Yocto, OpenWRT, RDK), run 'cat /proc/cpuinfo' or check 'lspci'/'lsusb' output for MediaTek devices.
    Affected if The system uses a MediaTek chipset or SoC
  2. Confirm DA component presence
    Locate the Device Administration (DA) component in the firmware. Check for files or services related to MediaTek DA, typically found in /system/bin or vendor partitions on Android, or within the MediaTek firmware blobs on embedded systems.
    Affected if The MediaTek DA component is present on the device
  3. Check firmware version
    Retrieve the MediaTek ALPS firmware version. On Android, use 'getprop | grep alps' or check '/vendor/firmware'. On Yocto/OpenWRT/RDK, check the firmware metadata or bootloader logs for the ALPS version string.
    Affected if The ALPS firmware version matches 3.3, 4.0 (Yocto), 2022q3 (RDK), 19.07.0, 21.02.0 (OpenWRT), or Android 12.0-15.0 on MediaTek devices
  4. Verify permission validation behavior
    Review system logs or debug output for permission check failures in the DA component. Analyze any available security audits or SELinux/IMA logs that may show improper permission validation events.
    Affected if Permission checks in the DA component show incorrect status validation or bypass patterns
  5. Check for untrusted device state
    Examine system state transitions that could trigger the incorrect status check. Look for any custom DA configurations or debugging modes that may expose the flawed permission validation logic.
    Affected if The DA component processes requests without proper system state validation before permission checks

A system is affected if it runs on MediaTek hardware with the DA component present and the firmware version falls within the affected Yocto, RDK, Android, or OpenWRT ranges listed.

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 ALPS08355514 to the MediaTek ALPS firmware. Organizations using affected MediaTek-based devices should coordinate with their device OEMs or chipset vendors to obtain and deploy the patched firmware version.

Fix this in Yocto Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation4.0 h
  • Implementation8.0 h
  • Testing6.0 h
  • Review / QA3.0 h
21.0 hours of engineering $3,680
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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-2023-32871 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
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