CVE-2023-20849

Local privilege escalation via unchecked freed-memory access

Published Sep 4, 2023 · Updated Oct 1, 2024

Use-after-free in MediaTek imgsys_cmdq allows local users to elevate privileges on affected Android, Linux, and Yocto systems. Missing valid-range checking in imgsys_cmdq permits access to memory after it has been freed. Exploitation requires existing System execution privileges and user interaction on a device using a listed MediaTek chipset, and successful abuse grants higher local privileges.

CVSS severity6.5
Medium
EPSS probability0.11%
Next 30 days · Sep 16, 2026
Known exploitationUnconfirmed
Based on sourced intelligence
Hinoki checkNot available
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Summary

What happened

Use-after-free in MediaTek imgsys_cmdq allows local users to elevate privileges on affected Android, Linux, and Yocto systems. Missing valid-range checking in imgsys_cmdq permits access to memory after it has been freed. Exploitation requires existing System execution privileges and user interaction on a device using a listed MediaTek chipset, and successful abuse grants higher local privileges.

The record

CVE
CVE-2023-20849
Published
Sep 4, 2023
Updated
Oct 1, 2024
Vendor
Yocto Project
Product
Yocto Project
Classifications
CWE-416, T1068
Attack vector
local
Privileges
admin

Timeline

How it unfolded

  1. Sep 4, 2023CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
  2. Oct 1, 2024Record updatedLatest update available in the CVE record.

Exploitability

Present is not the same as exploitable

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Is a vulnerable build present?

Compare these published version ranges with your installed build and any vendor patches.

  1. Affected versionversion=4.0

What conditions does exploitation require?

Attack vectorlocal
Required privilegesadmin

What is affected?

Yocto Project · Yocto Projectversion=4.0
The Linux Kernel Organization · Linux Kernelversion=6.1
Google · Androidversion=11.0; version=12.0
MediaTek · IoT Yoctoversion=23.0

Published CVSS scores

6.5CISA-ADPCVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:H/UI:R/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-416Use After Free
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

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Your stack

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