System-privileged information disclosure via empty path
Published Dec 13, 2022 · Updated Apr 22, 2025
Out-of-bounds read in Android 10 through 13 allows local users with System privileges to disclose process-accessible data. The fdt_path_offset_namelen function in libfdt accepts a zero-length device-tree path and dereferences its first byte before validating that any byte exists. Exploitation requires System execution privileges and no user interaction; the read can disclose adjacent memory without writing data or interrupting service.
Summary
What happened
Out-of-bounds read in Android 10 through 13 allows local users with System privileges to disclose process-accessible data. The fdt_path_offset_namelen function in libfdt accepts a zero-length device-tree path and dereferences its first byte before validating that any byte exists. Exploitation requires System execution privileges and no user interaction; the read can disclose adjacent memory without writing data or interrupting service.
The record
- CVE
- CVE-2022-20498
- Published
- Dec 13, 2022
- Updated
- Apr 22, 2025
- Vendor
- Google Cloud
- Product
- Android
- Classifications
- CWE-125
- Attack vector
- local
- Privileges
- admin
Timeline
How it unfolded
- Dec 13, 2022CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
- Apr 22, 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-10 Android-11 Android-12 Android-12L Android-13
What conditions does exploitation require?
What is affected?
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.
Weakness, pattern, technique
Public exploit references
No public exploit references are available in this record.
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Technologies
Your stack
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Your stack
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