CVE-2025-20801 Overview
CVE-2025-20801 is a memory corruption vulnerability in the MediaTek seninf (sensor interface) driver caused by a race condition. The flaw affects multiple MediaTek chipsets used in Android devices running Android 13, 14, 15, and 16. An attacker with existing System privileges can trigger concurrent access to shared driver state, corrupting memory and escalating to higher privilege levels. Exploitation requires no user interaction. MediaTek tracks the fix under Patch ID ALPS10251210 and Issue ID MSV-4926. The vulnerability maps to CWE-362 (Concurrent Execution using Shared Resource) and CWE-415 (Double Free).
Critical Impact
Successful exploitation enables local privilege escalation from System to kernel context on affected MediaTek-based Android devices, bypassing Android's sandbox boundaries.
Affected Products
- Google Android 13, 14, 15, and 16
- MediaTek chipsets: MT6878, MT6897, MT6899, MT6985, MT6989, MT6991, MT6993
- MediaTek chipsets: MT8792, MT8796, MT8798
Discovery Timeline
- 2026-01-06 - CVE-2025-20801 published to NVD
- 2026-03-30 - Last updated in NVD database
Technical Details for CVE-2025-20801
Vulnerability Analysis
The vulnerability resides in seninf, the MediaTek camera sensor interface kernel driver that manages image sensor data paths on MediaTek SoCs. Concurrent driver operations access shared memory structures without adequate synchronization. An attacker who already holds System privileges can issue parallel ioctl calls or device operations that race against each other, producing inconsistent state transitions.
The race condition can result in double-free conditions ([CWE-415]) where the same kernel object is released twice, or in use-after-free scenarios where freed memory is dereferenced. Either outcome corrupts kernel memory and creates a primitive for local privilege escalation from System to kernel.
Root Cause
The root cause is missing or insufficient locking around shared driver resources in the seninf component. When two threads enter critical sections concurrently, atomicity guarantees on allocation, reference counting, or release operations are violated. This creates the conditions documented in [CWE-362] and the resulting double-free described in [CWE-415].
Attack Vector
Exploitation is local and requires the attacker to already possess System privileges on the device. This typically means the attacker has compromised a privileged Android process or installed a malicious application granted System-level access. The attacker then issues racing requests to the seninf driver to trigger the memory corruption. No user interaction is required.
No public proof-of-concept code is available for CVE-2025-20801. Technical details are limited to the MediaTek Product Security Bulletin January 2026.
Detection Methods for CVE-2025-20801
Indicators of Compromise
- Unexpected kernel panics or seninf driver crashes in dmesg or logcat output referencing camera sensor interface operations.
- Anomalous ioctl call patterns from non-camera processes against /dev/seninf* or related MediaTek camera device nodes.
- Presence of unsigned or sideloaded applications operating with System UID on MediaTek-based devices.
Detection Strategies
- Monitor Android device telemetry for repeated or concurrent ioctl invocations on MediaTek camera driver nodes from a single process.
- Audit installed applications for those holding android.uid.system or platform-signed status that are not vendor-provisioned.
- Correlate kernel oops messages and driver fault traces with process activity to identify exploitation attempts.
Monitoring Recommendations
- Centralize Android device logs and kernel crash dumps in a SIEM for retrospective analysis of seninf-related faults.
- Track patch level reporting (ro.build.version.security_patch) across the fleet to identify devices missing the January 2026 MediaTek bulletin updates.
- Alert on privilege escalation chains where a System-context process spawns kernel-mode anomalies shortly after camera driver activity.
How to Mitigate CVE-2025-20801
Immediate Actions Required
- Apply the January 2026 MediaTek security patch level on all affected devices through OEM-supplied OTA updates.
- Inventory MediaTek-based mobile devices across the organization and identify those running affected chipsets MT6878, MT6897, MT6899, MT6985, MT6989, MT6991, MT6993, MT8792, MT8796, and MT8798.
- Enforce mobile device management (MDM) policies that block installation of unverified applications and require minimum Android security patch levels.
Patch Information
MediaTek released the fix referenced as Patch ID ALPS10251210 and Issue ID MSV-4926. Device OEMs incorporate this patch into their monthly Android security updates. Refer to the MediaTek Product Security Bulletin January 2026 for the authoritative list of affected components and remediation guidance.
Workarounds
- No vendor-supplied workaround exists. Patching is the only supported remediation.
- Restrict deployment of applications that request platform or System-level signing on unpatched devices.
- Disable or restrict camera-dependent applications on affected devices until the patch is applied where operational risk is unacceptable.
Disclaimer: This content was generated using AI. While we strive for accuracy, please verify critical information with official sources.
