CVE-2023-20738

Local privilege escalation via unchecked VCU buffer write

Published Jun 6, 2023 · Updated Jan 7, 2025

Out-of-bounds write in MediaTek VCU on Android 12.0 and 13.0 allows local users with System privileges to escalate privileges. The VCU component writes beyond a buffer because a required bounds check is missing from its handling of an unspecified input. Yocto 4.0 and Iot-Yocto 22.2 are also affected; exploitation requires System execution privileges, needs no user interaction, and can compromise data or service operation.

CVSS severity6.7
Medium
EPSS probability0.10%
Next 30 days · Sep 16, 2026
Known exploitationUnconfirmed
Based on sourced intelligence
Hinoki checkNot available
Coverage for this vulnerability

See if you're affected

Explore vulnerability checks for your environment with Hinoki.

Book a demo

Summary

What happened

Out-of-bounds write in MediaTek VCU on Android 12.0 and 13.0 allows local users with System privileges to escalate privileges. The VCU component writes beyond a buffer because a required bounds check is missing from its handling of an unspecified input. Yocto 4.0 and Iot-Yocto 22.2 are also affected; exploitation requires System execution privileges, needs no user interaction, and can compromise data or service operation.

The record

CVE
CVE-2023-20738
Published
Jun 6, 2023
Updated
Jan 7, 2025
Vendor
Unknown vendor
Product
Unknown product
Classifications
CWE-20, CWE-787, T1068
Attack vector
local
Privileges
admin

Timeline

How it unfolded

  1. Jun 6, 2023CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
  2. Jan 7, 2025Record updatedLatest update available in the CVE record.

Exploitability

Present is not the same as exploitable

Compare your product and version with the public record. A matching version still requires validation against your environment.

Is a vulnerable build present?

Affected buildAffected product and version details are unavailable.

What conditions does exploitation require?

Attack vectorlocal
Required privilegesadmin

What is affected?

Affected products and versions are unavailable in this record.

Published CVSS scores

6.7CISA-ADPCVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
6.7NIST NVDCVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

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.

Daily unique IPsNo honeypot observations are available for this CVE in the selected window.

No observations available

Sep 10, 2026Sep 16, 2026
Latest reporting daySep 16, 2026
Latest daily unique IPsUnavailable
Prior 30-day averageUnavailable
SourceShadowserver honeypots (KEV)
Vectorlocal
Privilegesadmin
Known exploitationUnconfirmed
Public exploitUnconfirmed

Weakness, pattern, technique

CWE-20Improper Input Validation
CWE-787Out-of-bounds Write
T1068Exploitation for Privilege Escalation

Public exploit references

No public exploit references are available in this record.

Labels summarize the accepted research assessment. They do not indicate a test against your environment.

Technologies

Your stack

See the directory against your own environment.

Your stack

Check the software in your environment

Book a demo to see how Hinoki identifies affected software and validates exploitability in your environment.

Book a demo