CVE-2024-20120
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 · uneditedIn KeyInstall, there is a possible out of bounds write due to a missing bounds check. This could lead to local escalation of privilege with System execution privileges needed. User interaction is not needed for exploitation. Patch ID: ALPS08956986; Issue ID: MSV-1575.
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 confidenceIn KeyInstall (a MediaTek/Android firmware component), an out-of-bounds write vulnerability exists due to a missing bounds check. This allows a local attacker to escalate privileges to System level without user interaction.
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= 12.0= 13.0= 14.0= 15.0CVSS 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 checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Check Android versionGo to Settings > About Phone > Android version, or run 'getprop ro.build.version.release' via adb shellAffected if The version is 12.0, 13.0, 14.0, or 15.0 (exact match to affected versions)
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Confirm MediaTek chipsetRun 'getprop ro.hardware' or 'getprop ro.mediatek.platform' via adb shell, or check for MediaTek in /proc/cpuinfoAffected if The device uses a MediaTek chipset (KeyInstall is a MediaTek component)
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Check security patch levelRun 'getprop ro.build.version.security_patch' via adb shell, or check Settings > About Phone > Security patch levelAffected if The patch level is earlier than the date when ALPS08956986 was released (the specific date varies by device/firmware version)
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Verify KeyInstall versionCheck KeyInstall-related system properties via 'getprop | grep -i keyinstall' or inspect /vendor/firmware/ keyinstall-related files if accessibleAffected if KeyInstall version is present and matches a version lacking the bounds-check fix
The device is affected if it runs Android 12.0-15.0 on MediaTek hardware and has a security patch level predating the ALPS08956986 vendor fix.
Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.
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 · scopedApply vendor patch ALPS08956986 to affected devices. This is a firmware-level fix requiring system image update.
- 1. Identify the device manufacturer and model to determine the specific OEM security update channel.
- 2. Check the device manufacturer's security bulletin or support website for CVE-2024-20120 / Patch ID ALPS08956986.
- 3. Apply the latest Android security patch level available from the device OEM. This typically comes through the monthly security update from the device manufacturer.
- 4. Verify the installed security patch level: Go to Settings > About Phone > Security Patch Level and confirm it includes the fix for ALPS08956986.
- 5. If no patch is available from the OEM, consider whether the device can receive updates from the chipset vendor (MediaTek) or if the device needs to be replaced.
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
- Consultation6.0 h
- Implementation4.0 h
- Testing8.0 h
- Review / QA4.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $6,144.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2024-20120 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.
References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.
Primary sourcesPractitioner notes
ContributedPeer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2024-20120 in production — separate from our analysis above.
The advisory tells you what broke. It rarely tells you what actually worked. If you’ve dealt with this one, that detail is what the next engineer is searching for.
- The version that genuinely resolved it — not the one the vendor claimed
- A config change or rule that shut the vector down
- A gotcha in the upgrade path that cost you an afternoon
No notes yet
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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.
- 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