dbcve.org
AndroidOperating system · Google

CVE-2025-20645

HIGH · 7.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2025-03-03
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 KeyInstall, there is a possible out of bounds write due to a missing bounds check. This could lead to local escalation of privilege if a malicious actor has already obtained the System privilege. User interaction is not needed for exploitation. Patch ID: ALPS09475476; Issue ID: MSV-2599.

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 KeyInstall due to a missing bounds check. A malicious actor with existing System privilege can exploit this to potentially gain higher privileges. The vulnerability stems from insufficient input validation in the KeyInstall component, which handles cryptographic key installation or storage.

MitigationApply patch ALPS09475476 to address the missing bounds check in KeyInstall. Since this requires System privilege to exploit, ensure strict access controls on the affected component and monitor for any unauthorized access to System-level processes.

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:= 14.0= 15.0

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
    Go to Settings > About Phone > Android version, or run 'getprop ro.build.version.release' via ADB shell
    Affected if Version is exactly 14.0 or 15.0
  2. Verify KeyInstall component presence
    Check for the presence of KeyInstall service by examining system logs or running 'dumpsys' commands related to key management services
    Affected if KeyInstall component is present and exposed on the device
  3. Assess system privilege access
    Review which applications or processes hold System-level privileges using 'dumpsys package' or system permission audits
    Affected if Multiple or unchecked processes hold System privilege, increasing exploitability
  4. Check for unauthorized system process access
    Monitor logcat or security audit logs for unusual access attempts to KeyInstall or cryptographic key installation interfaces
    Affected if Any unauthorized or unexpected processes are accessing KeyInstall-related system calls

If the device runs Android 14.0 or 15.0 and the KeyInstall component is present and accessible, the environment may be affected by this vulnerability.

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 patch ALPS09475476 to address the missing bounds check in KeyInstall. Since this requires System privilege to exploit, ensure strict access controls on the affected component and monitor for any unauthorized access to System-level processes.

Recommended fix Moderate confidence

Apply the latest Android security update from your device manufacturer that includes the MediaTek patch (ALPS09475476). Check device manufacturer support pages or carrier updates for the specific Android security patch level that contains this fix.

  1. 1. Check the current Android security patch level on the device (Settings > About Phone > Android version or Security patch level)
  2. 2. Verify if the installed security patch level is dated after the CVE was addressed in MediaTek's monthly security bulletin
  3. 3. If the device has not received the fix, check for a system software update from the device manufacturer
  4. 4. Apply any available system updates - MediaTek chipset fixes like this (Patch ID: ALPS09475476) are delivered through device manufacturer firmware updates
  5. 5. After updating, confirm the security patch level reflects the fix date (typically included in Android's monthly security bulletin that addressed this CVE)
Caveat Risk is minimal - security patches are backward-compatible; ensure device has adequate battery before applying update.

Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.

Fix this in Android Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation8.0 h
  • Implementation16.0 h
  • Testing24.0 h
  • Review / QA12.0 h
60.0 hours of engineering $10,240
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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-2025-20645 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