AndroidOperating system · Google

CVE-2024-25986

HIGH · 7.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2024-03-11
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
80/100
Remediation priority · High
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 ppmp_unprotect_buf of drm_fw.c, there is a possible compromise of protected memory due to a logic error in the code. This could lead to local escalation of privilege to TEE with no additional execution privileges needed. User interaction is not needed for exploitation.

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 logic error in the ppmp_unprotect_buf function within drm_fw.c allows protected memory to be compromised, enabling local privilege escalation to the Trusted Execution Environment (TEE) without requiring additional execution privileges or user interaction.

MitigationReview and fix the logic error in the ppmp_unprotect_buf function in drm_fw.c that improperly handles memory protection; apply vendor-provided patches for this vulnerability to prevent unauthorized TEE access.

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:= 13.0

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
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/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. Check Android version
    Run 'adb shell getprop ro.build.version.release' or check Settings > About Phone > Android version
    Affected if The version displayed is exactly 13.0 (not 13.0.x, just 13.0)
  2. Verify DRM firmware component presence
    Check for the presence of drm_fw.c or related DRM firmware drivers in /system/lib/modules or /vendor/lib/modules directories
    Affected if The drm_fw.c component is present in the system's kernel or firmware modules
  3. Confirm TEE accessibility configuration
    Check if the device has a Trusted Execution Environment (TEE) enabled by examining /sys/class/misc/tee or running 'ls /dev/tee*'
    Affected if TEE devices are present and accessible, indicating the vulnerable code path could be triggered

If the Android version is exactly 13.0 and the device contains the affected drm_fw.c component with an active TEE, the environment is vulnerable to local privilege escalation via the ppmp_unprotect_buf logic error.

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

Review and fix the logic error in the ppmp_unprotect_buf function in drm_fw.c that improperly handles memory protection; apply vendor-provided patches for this vulnerability to prevent unauthorized TEE access.

Recommended fix Moderate confidence

Android 14 or later (which includes the security fix for this vulnerability)

  1. 1. Check the current Android version on the affected device by going to Settings > About Phone > Android version
  2. 2. Go to Settings > System > System update to check for available updates
  3. 3. Apply any available Android security updates. This vulnerability was addressed in the Android security bulletin for the month the patch was released
  4. 4. Verify the device has received the update containing the fix for CVE-2024-25986 by checking Settings > About Phone > Security patch level
Caveat Major Android version upgrade may have compatibility implications with existing apps or custom configurations

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
  • Testing8.0 h
  • Review / QA4.0 h
24.0 hours of engineering $4,160
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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-2024-25986 in production — separate from our analysis above.

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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