Local privilege escalation via unprotected TTY broadcast
Published Dec 16, 2022 · Updated Apr 18, 2025
Missing authorization in RcsService in Android 13 allows local users to change the preferred TTY mode via an unprotected broadcast. The registerBroadcastReceiver method registers ACTION_TTY_PREFERRED_MODE_CHANGED without requiring MODIFY_PHONE_STATE, so broadcasts from unprivileged apps reach its receiver. Any local app can alter the telephony accessibility setting without user interaction; the demonstrated consequence is limited to unauthorized TTY-mode changes.
Summary
What happened
Missing authorization in RcsService in Android 13 allows local users to change the preferred TTY mode via an unprotected broadcast. The registerBroadcastReceiver method registers ACTION_TTY_PREFERRED_MODE_CHANGED without requiring MODIFY_PHONE_STATE, so broadcasts from unprivileged apps reach its receiver. Any local app can alter the telephony accessibility setting without user interaction; the demonstrated consequence is limited to unauthorized TTY-mode changes.
The record
- CVE
- CVE-2022-20536
- Published
- Dec 16, 2022
- Updated
- Apr 18, 2025
- Vendor
- Google Cloud
- Product
- Android
- Classifications
- CWE-862
- Attack vector
- local
- Privileges
- authenticated
Timeline
How it unfolded
- Dec 16, 2022CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
- Apr 18, 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.
Weakness, pattern, technique
Public exploit references
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Technologies
Your stack
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Your stack
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