AndroidOperating system · Google

CVE-2024-25987

MEDIUM · 6.7 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 →
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 pt_sysctl_command of pt.c, there is a possible out of bounds write due to an incorrect bounds check. This could lead to local escalation of privilege with System 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

An out-of-bounds write vulnerability exists in the pt_sysctl_command function in pt.c due to an incorrect bounds check. The flaw allows a local attacker with System execution privileges to escalate privileges to a higher level. No user interaction is required for exploitation.

MitigationApply the vendor-released security patch for this vulnerability in the affected system component. If no patch is available, consider disabling or restricting access to the pt_sysctl_command functionality until a fix can be deployed.

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
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. Check Android version
    Go to Settings > About Phone > Android version, or run 'getprop ro.build.version.release' via adb shell
    Affected if The version is exactly 13.0 (Android 13)
  2. Verify pt.sysctl kernel command line parameter
    Check kernel command line for pt.sysctl parameter using 'cat /proc/cmdline' or check /sys/module/pt/parameters/ if the pt module is loaded
    Affected if The pt.sysctl parameter is enabled or the pt module is loaded with sysctl support
  3. Confirm System-level access
    Run 'id' or 'whoami' in adb shell to check current user privileges; System level privileges mean uid=1000 (system) or higher privileges
    Affected if The attacker has System-level execution privileges (uid 1000) or root (uid 0)
  4. Check for pt sysctl interface
    Look for /proc/pt_sysctl or similar interface; check if 'adb shell dumpsys' shows pt-related services
    Affected if The pt sysctl command interface is present and accessible

The environment is affected if running Google Android version 13.0, the pt.sysctl functionality is enabled, and the attacker has System-level execution privileges.

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-released security patch for this vulnerability in the affected system component. If no patch is available, consider disabling or restricting access to the pt_sysctl_command functionality until a fix can be deployed.

Fix this in Android Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation3.0 h
  • Implementation6.0 h
  • Testing5.0 h
  • Review / QA3.0 h
17.0 hours of engineering $2,970
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Scan for this in your stack

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dbcve dependency scanner

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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-2024-25987 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