CVE-2025-20706

Local privilege escalation via mbrain use-after-free

Published Sep 1, 2025 · Updated Feb 26, 2026

Use-after-free in MediaTek mbrain on Android 14.0 and 15.0 allows local users with System privilege to escalate privileges. MediaTek discloses that mbrain accesses freed memory, causing memory corruption, but does not identify the affected function or lifetime error. Exploitation is local, requires prior System privilege, and needs no user interaction; successful abuse can gain higher privileges.

CVSS severity7.8
High
EPSS probability0.09%
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 mbrain on Android 14.0 and 15.0 allows local users with System privilege to escalate privileges. MediaTek discloses that mbrain accesses freed memory, causing memory corruption, but does not identify the affected function or lifetime error. Exploitation is local, requires prior System privilege, and needs no user interaction; successful abuse can gain higher privileges.

The record

CVE
CVE-2025-20706
Published
Sep 1, 2025
Updated
Feb 26, 2026
Vendor
Unknown vendor
Product
Unknown product
Classifications
CWE-416, T1068
Attack vector
local
Privileges
admin

Timeline

How it unfolded

  1. Sep 1, 2025CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
  2. Feb 26, 2026Record updatedLatest update available in the CVE record.

Exploitability

Present is not the same as exploitable

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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

7.8CISA-ADPCVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/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.

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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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