CVE-2025-20775: Google Android Use After Free Vulnerability

CVE-2025-20775 Overview

CVE-2025-20775 is a use after free vulnerability in the display driver component affecting numerous MediaTek chipsets running Google Android. The vulnerability exists in the display subsystem where improper memory handling can lead to memory corruption. This could enable an attacker who has already obtained System privileges to achieve local escalation of privilege. Notably, user interaction is not required for exploitation, making this a particularly concerning flaw for compromised devices.

Critical Impact

Local privilege escalation through memory corruption in display driver, enabling attackers with System privileges to further compromise affected Android devices without user interaction.

Affected Products

• Google Android 14.0, 15.0, and 16.0
• MediaTek MT67xx series chipsets (MT6739, MT6761, MT6765, MT6768, MT6781, MT6789, MT6833, MT6835, MT6853, MT6855, MT6877, MT6878, MT6879, MT6883, MT6885, MT6886, MT6889, MT6893, MT6895, MT6897, MT6899, MT6983, MT6985, MT6989, MT6991)
• MediaTek MT81xx/MT87xx series chipsets (MT8186, MT8188, MT8196, MT8667, MT8673, MT8676, MT8678, MT8765, MT8766, MT8768, MT8771, MT8781, MT8791T, MT8792, MT8793, MT8795T, MT8796, MT8798, MT8873, MT8883)

Discovery Timeline

• December 2, 2025 - CVE-2025-20775 published to NVD
• December 3, 2025 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2025-20775

Vulnerability Analysis

This vulnerability is classified under CWE-416 (Use After Free) and CWE-415 (Double Free). The flaw resides in the display driver component of MediaTek chipsets used in Android devices. The CVSS 3.1 base score is 6.7 (Medium severity) with the vector string CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H, indicating local attack vector, low attack complexity, high privileges required, no user interaction needed, and high impact on confidentiality, integrity, and availability.

The EPSS (Exploit Prediction Scoring System) score is 0.005% with a percentile ranking of 24.3%, suggesting a relatively low probability of exploitation in the wild at this time.

Root Cause

The root cause of CVE-2025-20775 is improper memory management in the display driver where memory is accessed after it has been freed. This use after free condition occurs when the display driver attempts to reference memory that was previously deallocated, potentially allowing an attacker to manipulate the freed memory region to execute arbitrary code or corrupt system memory. The vulnerability is tracked internally by MediaTek as Patch ID ALPS10182914 and Issue ID MSV-4795.

Attack Vector

The attack vector for this vulnerability is local, requiring an attacker to have already compromised the device and obtained System-level privileges. From this position, the attacker can trigger the use after free condition in the display driver to corrupt memory and potentially escalate privileges further or maintain persistent access. The exploitation does not require any user interaction, meaning once an attacker has System privileges, they can silently exploit this vulnerability.

The vulnerability manifests in the display driver's memory handling routines. When display resources are freed during certain operations but pointers to those resources are not properly nullified, subsequent access to those pointers can result in memory corruption. Attackers can potentially craft specific display-related operations to trigger this condition and control the contents of the freed memory region.

Detection Methods for CVE-2025-20775

Indicators of Compromise

• Unexpected crashes or reboots in the display driver subsystem
• Unusual system-level process behavior following display-related operations
• Evidence of privilege escalation attempts from System to higher privilege levels
• Memory corruption artifacts in display driver logs

Detection Strategies

Organizations should implement kernel-level monitoring to detect anomalous memory access patterns in the display driver. Mobile device management (MDM) solutions can be configured to identify devices running vulnerable Android versions with affected MediaTek chipsets. Security teams should monitor for exploitation attempts by tracking display driver-related crashes and analyzing crash dumps for signs of use after free exploitation.

SentinelOne Singularity Mobile provides behavioral detection capabilities that can identify suspicious privilege escalation attempts and memory corruption attacks targeting Android devices. The platform's real-time monitoring can detect anomalous display driver behavior indicative of exploitation.

Monitoring Recommendations

Security teams should prioritize monitoring devices with MediaTek chipsets running Android 14.0, 15.0, or 16.0. Implement logging for display subsystem events and correlate with system-level privilege changes. Deploy endpoint detection solutions capable of monitoring kernel-level activities on Android devices. Regular firmware and Android security patch audits should be conducted to identify unpatched devices in the environment.

How to Mitigate CVE-2025-20775

Immediate Actions Required

• Apply the December 2025 MediaTek security update containing patch ALPS10182914
• Update affected Android devices to the latest available security patch level
• Implement device management policies to restrict installation of untrusted applications that could lead to initial System privilege compromise
• Enable Android Verified Boot to ensure firmware integrity

Patch Information

MediaTek has released a security patch addressing this vulnerability as documented in their December 2025 Product Security Bulletin. The patch is identified by Patch ID ALPS10182914. Organizations should coordinate with device manufacturers to obtain and deploy updated firmware images that include this fix. Android device OEMs typically integrate MediaTek security patches into their monthly Android security updates.

Workarounds

Until patches can be applied, organizations should implement defense-in-depth strategies to minimize the risk of exploitation:

# Verify current Android security patch level
adb shell getprop ro.build.version.security_patch

# Check device chipset to confirm if affected
adb shell cat /proc/cpuinfo | grep Hardware

# Enable additional SELinux enforcement monitoring
adb shell getenforce

If immediate patching is not feasible, organizations should:

• Restrict physical access to affected devices
• Implement strict application allowlisting to prevent initial compromise
• Monitor affected devices for signs of exploitation
• Consider network segmentation for vulnerable devices until patches are available