CVE-2025-20774 Overview
CVE-2025-20774 is a medium-severity out-of-bounds write vulnerability affecting the display driver component in MediaTek chipsets running Google Android. The vulnerability exists due to a missing bounds check in the display subsystem, which could allow an attacker who has already obtained System-level privileges to escalate their access further. Notably, no user interaction is required for exploitation, making this vulnerability particularly concerning for compromised devices.
This vulnerability is classified under CWE-787 (Out-of-Bounds Write) and CWE-122 (Heap-based Buffer Overflow), indicating a memory corruption issue in the display driver that could lead to arbitrary memory writes beyond allocated buffer boundaries.
Critical Impact
Local privilege escalation on Android devices with MediaTek chipsets. An attacker with System privileges can achieve full device compromise through memory corruption in the display driver.
Affected Products
- Google Android 14.0, 15.0, and 16.0
- MediaTek MT6739, MT6761, MT6765, MT6768, MT6781, MT6789
- MediaTek MT6833, MT6835, MT6853, MT6855, MT6877, MT6878, MT6879
- MediaTek MT6883, MT6885, MT6886, MT6889, MT6893, MT6895, MT6897, MT6899
- MediaTek MT6983, MT6985, MT6989, MT6991
- MediaTek MT2718, MT8196, MT8676, MT8678, MT8792, MT8793
Discovery Timeline
- December 2, 2025 - CVE-2025-20774 published to NVD
- December 3, 2025 - Last updated in NVD database
Technical Details for CVE-2025-20774
Vulnerability Analysis
The vulnerability resides in the display driver component of MediaTek chipsets used across numerous Android devices. According to the CVSS:3.1 vector CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H, this vulnerability has a base score of 6.7 (Medium severity) and requires:
- Attack Vector: Local access to the device
- Attack Complexity: Low - exploitation is straightforward once prerequisites are met
- Privileges Required: High - attacker must already have System-level privileges
- User Interaction: None required
- Impact: High confidentiality, integrity, and availability impact
The vulnerability is tracked internally by MediaTek as Patch ID ALPS10196993 and Issue ID MSV-4796.
Root Cause
The root cause of CVE-2025-20774 is a missing bounds check in the display driver subsystem. When processing display-related operations, the driver fails to properly validate input parameters or buffer sizes before performing write operations. This oversight allows data to be written beyond the boundaries of allocated memory buffers, resulting in heap-based buffer overflow conditions.
The absence of proper input validation in the display component creates a scenario where malformed or specially crafted requests can trigger memory corruption, potentially overwriting adjacent memory structures critical to system operation and security.
Attack Vector
The attack vector for CVE-2025-20774 is local, meaning an attacker must have existing access to the target device. The exploitation scenario involves:
- An attacker first gains System-level privileges on the Android device through another vulnerability or malicious application
- The attacker then interacts with the vulnerable display driver component
- By sending specially crafted requests to the display subsystem, the attacker triggers the out-of-bounds write condition
- The memory corruption can be leveraged to achieve further privilege escalation or arbitrary code execution at the kernel level
Since user interaction is not required, an automated exploit could be triggered once the initial System privilege requirement is satisfied. The Exploit Prediction Scoring System (EPSS) indicates a probability of 0.005% (24.3rd percentile), suggesting relatively low likelihood of active exploitation in the wild.
Detection Methods for CVE-2025-20774
Indicators of Compromise
- Unusual crashes or instability in the display subsystem or Android system_server process
- Unexpected privilege escalation events from System-level processes
- Anomalous memory access patterns in kernel logs related to display driver operations
- Signs of kernel memory corruption or panic events related to the MediaTek display component
Detection Strategies
Organizations and security teams should implement the following detection strategies:
Log Analysis: Monitor Android system logs for crashes or exceptions related to the display driver component, particularly those indicating memory corruption or invalid memory access.
Behavioral Monitoring: Deploy endpoint detection solutions capable of identifying privilege escalation attempts and anomalous system behavior on Android devices with MediaTek chipsets.
Kernel Integrity Monitoring: Implement solutions that monitor kernel memory integrity and can detect unauthorized modifications to kernel structures.
Mobile Device Management (MDM): Use MDM solutions to monitor device health, detect root/jailbreak status, and identify devices running vulnerable Android versions.
Monitoring Recommendations
Security teams managing Android device fleets should:
- Establish baseline behavior profiles for managed devices to identify deviations
- Enable detailed logging for system-level processes on critical devices
- Monitor for applications requesting or operating with System-level privileges
- Implement network-based detection for potential command-and-control traffic from compromised devices
- Use SentinelOne Mobile Threat Defense to provide real-time protection and visibility into mobile device security posture
How to Mitigate CVE-2025-20774
Immediate Actions Required
- Apply the MediaTek security patch ALPS10196993 immediately when available through OEM updates
- Review and audit applications running with elevated privileges on affected devices
- Implement application allowlisting to prevent unauthorized applications from executing
- Enable additional security features such as Android Verified Boot and SELinux in enforcing mode
- Monitor affected devices for signs of compromise until patches can be applied
Patch Information
MediaTek has released a security patch addressing this vulnerability as documented in their December 2025 Product Security Bulletin. The patch is identified as ALPS10196993 and resolves the missing bounds check in the display driver component.
Device manufacturers and OEMs should integrate this patch into their Android builds. End users should install security updates provided by their device manufacturers as they become available. Google Android versions 14.0, 15.0, and 16.0 running on affected MediaTek chipsets require this update.
For detailed patch information, refer to the MediaTek Product Security Bulletin - December 2025.
Workarounds
While no official workarounds have been published by MediaTek, organizations can implement the following risk reduction measures until patches are applied:
Principle of Least Privilege: Minimize applications and services running with System or elevated privileges. Audit and remove unnecessary privileged applications.
Network Isolation: Limit network access for potentially vulnerable devices to reduce the attack surface for initial compromise vectors.
Device Hardening: Ensure devices are running with all security features enabled, including SELinux, verified boot, and encryption.
Monitoring Enhancement: Increase monitoring and logging on affected devices to detect potential exploitation attempts.
# Check Android security patch level on affected devices
adb shell getprop ro.build.version.security_patch
# Verify SELinux is in enforcing mode
adb shell getenforce
# List applications with system privileges for audit
adb shell pm list packages -f | grep -i system
Disclaimer: This content was generated using AI. While we strive for accuracy, please verify critical information with official sources.
