Local privilege escalation via unchecked core identifier
Published Nov 6, 2023 · Updated Apr 25, 2025
An out-of-bounds write in the MediaTek mtk_jpeg driver on Android 12 allows local users to escalate privileges. JPEG_DEC_IOCTL_HYBRID_WAIT accepts a user-controlled hardware-core identifier without enforcing the upper HW_CORE_NUMBER bound, causing later accesses beyond driver arrays. An untrusted application can reach the driver without user interaction; a kernel-memory read/write primitive was demonstrated, but no complete exploit for this flaw was achieved.
Summary
What happened
An out-of-bounds write in the MediaTek mtk_jpeg driver on Android 12 allows local users to escalate privileges. JPEG_DEC_IOCTL_HYBRID_WAIT accepts a user-controlled hardware-core identifier without enforcing the upper HW_CORE_NUMBER bound, causing later accesses beyond driver arrays. An untrusted application can reach the driver without user interaction; a kernel-memory read/write primitive was demonstrated, but no complete exploit for this flaw was achieved.
The record
- CVE
- CVE-2023-32837
- Published
- Nov 6, 2023
- Updated
- Apr 25, 2025
- Vendor
- Unknown vendor
- Product
- Unknown product
- Classifications
- CWE-787, CWE-662, T1404
- Attack vector
- local
- Privileges
- authenticated
Timeline
How it unfolded
- Nov 6, 2023CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
- Apr 25, 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?
What conditions does exploitation require?
What is affected?
Affected products and versions are unavailable in this record.
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
- Project Zero mtk_jpeg out-of-bounds read/write demonstrationproof of concept · demonstrated
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Technologies
Your stack
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Your stack
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