Local privilege escalation via unchecked CMDQ addresses
Published Mar 10, 2020 · Updated Oct 21, 2025
Out-of-bounds write in the MediaTek CMDQ driver in Android kernel allows local users to elevate privileges through crafted ioctl commands. The driver accepts user-supplied CMDQ command buffers without validating MOVE target addresses, allowing DMA reads and writes across physical memory. An application able to access the exposed CMDQ device can overwrite kernel code or data and obtain root privileges without user interaction.
Summary
What happened
Out-of-bounds write in the MediaTek CMDQ driver in Android kernel allows local users to elevate privileges through crafted ioctl commands. The driver accepts user-supplied CMDQ command buffers without validating MOVE target addresses, allowing DMA reads and writes across physical memory. An application able to access the exposed CMDQ device can overwrite kernel code or data and obtain root privileges without user interaction.
The record
- CVE
- CVE-2020-0069
- Published
- Mar 10, 2020
- Updated
- Oct 21, 2025
- Vendor
- Google Cloud
- Product
- Android
- Classifications
- CWE-787, T1404
- Attack vector
- local
- Privileges
- authenticated
Timeline
How it unfolded
- Mar 10, 2020CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
- Nov 3, 2021Exploitation reportedCISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities listing
- Oct 21, 2025Record updatedLatest update available in the CVE record.
Exploitability
Present is not the same as exploitable
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Is a vulnerable build present?
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- Affected versionversion=Android kernel
What conditions does exploitation require?
What is affected?
Published CVSS scores
CVSS describes severity. EPSS estimates exploitation probability.
Attacks
What attackers are doing with it
Daily unique IPs observed by Shadowserver honeypots for known exploited vulnerabilities (KEVs). Missing observations do not establish an absence of attacks.
Public exploit references
- Quarkslab CVE-2020-0069 PoCfunctional · demonstrated
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Reported exploitation
- AbstractEmu exploit chainexploit chain
- CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities listingknown exploited catalog
Technologies
Your stack
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Your stack
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