Local privilege escalation via stale worker reference
Published Dec 16, 2022 · Updated Apr 21, 2025
Use-after-free in Android 13 Vibrator.cpp allows local users to execute arbitrary code and escalate privileges through the compose method. The method starts a worker whose lambda implicitly captures the Vibrator object without retaining shared ownership, so the worker can dereference it after destruction. Low-privileged local access is required, but no user interaction is needed; successful exploitation executes code with the component's elevated privileges.
Summary
What happened
Use-after-free in Android 13 Vibrator.cpp allows local users to execute arbitrary code and escalate privileges through the compose method. The method starts a worker whose lambda implicitly captures the Vibrator object without retaining shared ownership, so the worker can dereference it after destruction. Low-privileged local access is required, but no user interaction is needed; successful exploitation executes code with the component's elevated privileges.
The record
- CVE
- CVE-2022-20524
- Published
- Dec 16, 2022
- Updated
- Apr 21, 2025
- Vendor
- Google Cloud
- Product
- Android
- Classifications
- CWE-416, T1404
- Attack vector
- local
- Privileges
- authenticated
Timeline
How it unfolded
- Dec 16, 2022CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
- Apr 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-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.
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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