Local privilege escalation via Binder VMA race
Published Jan 24, 2023 · Updated Apr 2, 2025
Use-after-free in the Android kernel Binder driver allows local users to escalate privileges through a race with munmap without user interaction. binder_update_page_range accesses a cached alloc->vma pointer while munmap can detach and free that VMA under only a read lock. A low-privileged local process can race Binder buffer allocation against VMA teardown, producing kernel memory corruption and privilege escalation.
Summary
What happened
Use-after-free in the Android kernel Binder driver allows local users to escalate privileges through a race with munmap without user interaction. binder_update_page_range accesses a cached alloc->vma pointer while munmap can detach and free that VMA under only a read lock. A low-privileged local process can race Binder buffer allocation against VMA teardown, producing kernel memory corruption and privilege escalation.
The record
- CVE
- CVE-2023-20928
- Published
- Jan 24, 2023
- Updated
- Apr 2, 2025
- Vendor
- Google Cloud
- Product
- Android
- Classifications
- CWE-416, T1404
- Attack vector
- local
- Privileges
- authenticated
Timeline
How it unfolded
- Jan 24, 2023CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
- Apr 2, 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 kernel
What conditions does exploitation require?
What is affected?
Published CVSS scores
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Attacks
What attackers are doing with it
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Public exploit references
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Technologies
Your stack
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Your stack
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