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AndroidOperating system · Google

CVE-2024-20078

CRITICAL · 9.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2024-07-01
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
100/100
Remediation priority · Urgent
Remotely reachable No privileges 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 venc, there is a possible out of bounds write due to type confusion. This could lead to local escalation of privilege with System execution privileges needed. User interaction is not needed for exploitation. Patch ID: ALPS08737250; Issue ID: MSV-1452.

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 · high confidence

A type confusion vulnerability in the MediaTek video encoder (venc) component allows an out-of-bounds write, enabling local privilege escalation to System level without user interaction. The vulnerability stems from incorrect type handling in the encoder that causes memory corruption.

MitigationApply vendor patch ALPS08737250 immediately. Until patched, minimize attack surface by restricting access to video encoding functions and monitoring for indicators of compromise.

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= 14.0

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
Network
Complexity
Low
Privileges
None
User interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/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 Android version
    Check system settings or run 'getprop ro.build.version.release' to determine if the device runs Android 12.0, 13.0, or 14.0
    Affected if Version matches 12.0, 13.0, or 14.0 exactly
  2. Confirm MediaTek hardware
    Check the processor/chipset information via 'getprop ro.hardware' or device specifications to verify the device uses a MediaTek SoC
    Affected if Device contains a MediaTek chipset
  3. Verify venc component presence
    Check if the video encoder (venc) module is available on the system, typically through /proc or sysfs entries related to video encoding hardware blocks
    Affected if The venc hardware encoder component is present and accessible
  4. Assess video encoding access
    Determine if applications or services can access video encoding functions - review camera or video recording app permissions and any media encoding services
    Affected if Video encoding functionality is available to apps or the component can be triggered without user interaction

Device is affected if it runs Android 12.0, 13.0, or 14.0 on MediaTek hardware with an accessible venc video encoder component, as the type confusion flaw in the encoder enables the exploit path.

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 ALPS08737250 immediately. Until patched, minimize attack surface by restricting access to video encoding functions and monitoring for indicators of compromise.

Recommended fix Moderate confidence

Android Security Patch Level containing MediaTek patch ALPS08737250 (check your device manufacturer's release notes)

  1. 1. Check if your device manufacturer has released a security update containing the MediaTek patch ALPS08737250
  2. 2. Navigate to Settings > Security on your Android device
  3. 3. Check for and install any available security updates
  4. 4. If no update is available, contact your device OEM or carrier to request the security patch
Caveat Security patches are generally backward-compatible; however, verify with your device OEM for any specific concerns

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
  • Testing6.0 h
  • Review / QA3.0 h
21.0 hours of engineering $3,680
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Scan for this in your stack

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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-2024-20078 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