Local privilege escalation via vdec heap overflow
Published Sep 7, 2026 · Updated Sep 8, 2026
A heap-based buffer overflow in MediaTek chipset vdec allows local users to gain elevated privileges without user interaction. The vdec component writes beyond a heap allocation, but MediaTek has not disclosed the malformed input or code path that supplies the unchecked length. Exploitation requires local access to a device containing an affected chipset and can grant privileges beyond those of the initiating process.
Summary
What happened
A heap-based buffer overflow in MediaTek chipset vdec allows local users to gain elevated privileges without user interaction. The vdec component writes beyond a heap allocation, but MediaTek has not disclosed the malformed input or code path that supplies the unchecked length. Exploitation requires local access to a device containing an affected chipset and can grant privileges beyond those of the initiating process.
The record
- CVE
- CVE-2026-20501
- Published
- Sep 7, 2026
- Updated
- Sep 8, 2026
- Vendor
- MediaTek
- Product
- MediaTek Chipset
- Classifications
- CWE-122, T1068
- Attack vector
- local
- Privileges
- unauthenticated
Timeline
How it unfolded
- Sep 7, 2026CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
- Sep 8, 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?
Compare these published version ranges with your installed build and any vendor patches.
- Affected versionversion=MT2718
- Affected versionversion=MT6580
- Affected versionversion=MT6739
- Affected versionversion=MT6761
- Affected versionversion=MT6765
- Affected versionversion=MT6768
- Affected versionversion=MT6769
- Affected versionversion=MT6779
- Affected versionversion=MT6781
- Affected versionversion=MT6785
- Affected versionversion=MT6789
- Affected versionversion=MT6833
- Affected versionversion=MT6835
- Affected versionversion=MT6853
- Affected versionversion=MT6855
- Affected versionversion=MT6858
- Affected versionversion=MT6873
- Affected versionversion=MT6877
- Affected versionversion=MT6878
- Affected versionversion=MT6879
- Affected versionversion=MT6881
- Affected versionversion=MT6883
- Affected versionversion=MT6885
- Affected versionversion=MT6886
- Affected versionversion=MT6889
- Affected versionversion=MT6893
- Affected versionversion=MT6895
- Affected versionversion=MT6897
- Affected versionversion=MT6899
- Affected versionversion=MT6983
- Affected versionversion=MT6985
- Affected versionversion=MT6989
- Affected versionversion=MT6991
- Affected versionversion=MT6993
- Affected versionversion=MT8126
- Affected versionversion=MT8171
- Affected versionversion=MT8186
- Affected versionversion=MT8188
- Affected versionversion=MT8189
- Affected versionversion=MT8195
- Affected versionversion=MT8196
- Affected versionversion=MT8367
- Affected versionversion=MT8391
- Affected versionversion=MT8395
- Affected versionversion=MT8668
- Affected versionversion=MT8676
- Affected versionversion=MT8678
- Affected versionversion=MT8696
- Affected versionversion=MT8781
- Affected versionversion=MT8788E
- Affected versionversion=MT8792
- Affected versionversion=MT8799
- 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
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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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