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YoctoApplication · Linuxfoundation

CVE-2025-20696

MEDIUM · 6.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2025-08-04
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
73/100
Remediation priority · Elevated
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 DA, there is a possible out of bounds write due to a missing bounds check. This could lead to local escalation of privilege, if an attacker has physical access to the device, with no additional execution privileges needed. User interaction is needed for exploitation. Patch ID: ALPS09915215; Issue ID: MSV-3801.

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

Out-of-bounds write vulnerability in Device Administration (DA) component due to missing bounds check. Allows local privilege escalation with physical access to the device and user interaction required for exploitation.

MitigationApply vendor patch ALPS09915215 via firmware update. Physical access requirement limits attack surface but patch deployment is necessary for complete remediation.

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
YoctoApplication
Affected:= 4.0
Rdk BApplication
Affected:= 2024q1
AndroidOperating system
Affected:= 13.0= 14.0= 15.0
OpenwrtOperating system
Affected:= 21.02.0= 23.05
ZephyrOperating system
Affected:= 3.7.0

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

CVSS:3.1/AV:P/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 the product and version in use
    Determine which of the affected products is running: Linux Foundation Yocto 4.0, RDKcentral RDK B 2024q1, Google Android 13.0/14.0/15.0, OpenWRT 21.02.0/23.05, or Zephyrproject Zephyr 3.7.0. Use system queries (e.g., 'cat /etc/os-release' for Linux-based, 'getprop' for Android, 'cat /etc/version' for OpenWRT) to retrieve the exact version string.
    Affected if The installed version matches 4.0 for Yocto, 2024q1 for RDK B, 13.0/14.0/15.0 for Android, 21.02.0/23.05 for OpenWRT, or 3.7.0 for Zephyr
  2. Verify Device Administration component is enabled
    Locate and inspect the Device Administration (DA) component configuration. On Android, check 'adb shell pm list features' or look for 'device_admin' entries in /data/system/users/0/*.xml. On Linux-based systems, search for DA-related processes or services (e.g., 'ps aux | grep -i admin' or 'systemctl list-units | grep -i admin'). For embedded devices, review the firmware configuration for DA module inclusion.
    Affected if The Device Administration component is present and active on the system
  3. Check for specific DA component files and configurations
    Examine the DA component for the affected binary or library. On Android, look in /system/bin/ or /system/lib/ for DA-related executables. On Linux/OpenWRT, check /usr/sbin/ or /opt/. For Zephyr, review the built firmware image for DA module presence. Identify the binary responsible for Device Administration functionality.
    Affected if The DA binary/library exists in the expected system path and matches the vulnerable component
  4. Confirm physical access scenario applies
    Review the deployment context: determine if the device is physically accessible to untrusted users in a manner that would enable an attacker with physical access to interact with the Device Administration feature. This includes checking if the device is in a shared or public location, or if console/USB access is available to non-admin users.
    Affected if The device can be physically accessed by untrusted individuals who could trigger user interaction with the DA component

A system is affected if it runs one of the specified versions (Yocto 4.0, RDK B 2024q1, Android 13.0/14.0/15.0, OpenWRT 21.02.0/23.05, Zephyr 3.7.0) and has the Device Administration component enabled and accessible to an attacker with physical access.

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 vendor patch ALPS09915215 via firmware update. Physical access requirement limits attack surface but patch deployment is necessary for complete remediation.

Fix this in Yocto Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation4.0 h
  • Testing4.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
12.0 hours of engineering $2,080
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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-2025-20696 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