Local privilege escalation via missing permission check
Published Aug 3, 2026 · Updated Aug 3, 2026
Improper input validation in geniezone on affected MediaTek chipsets allows local users with System privilege to escalate privileges. The component fails to perform a required permission check, but MediaTek has not disclosed the checked operation, input, or code locus. Exploitation requires preexisting System privilege and no user interaction; it enables reading or altering protected data without a reported service interruption.
Summary
What happened
Improper input validation in geniezone on affected MediaTek chipsets allows local users with System privilege to escalate privileges. The component fails to perform a required permission check, but MediaTek has not disclosed the checked operation, input, or code locus. Exploitation requires preexisting System privilege and no user interaction; it enables reading or altering protected data without a reported service interruption.
The record
- CVE
- CVE-2026-20498
- Published
- Aug 3, 2026
- Updated
- Aug 3, 2026
- Vendor
- MediaTek
- Product
- MediaTek Chipset
- Classifications
- CWE-1287, T1068
- Attack vector
- local
- Privileges
- admin
Timeline
How it unfolded
- Aug 3, 2026CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
- Aug 3, 2026Record 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?
Compare these published version ranges with your installed build and any vendor patches.
- Affected versionversion=MT6991
- Affected versionversion=MT8768
- Affected versionversion=MT8791T
- Affected versionversion=MT8792
- Affected versionversion=MT8796
- Affected versionversion=MT8799
- Affected versionversion=MT8873
- Affected versionversion=MT8883
- Affected versionversion=MT8893
- Affected versionversion=MT8910
What conditions does exploitation require?
What is affected?
Published CVSS scores
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.
Weakness, pattern, technique
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