CVE-2025-20806: Google Android Use-After-Free Vulnerability

CVE-2025-20806 Overview

CVE-2025-20806 is a use-after-free vulnerability [CWE-416] in the MediaTek dpe (Display Processing Engine) component. The flaw affects devices running Google Android on MediaTek chipsets, including the MT6899, MT6991, and MT8793. An attacker who has already obtained System-level privileges can trigger memory corruption to escalate privileges further on the device. No user interaction is required for exploitation. MediaTek tracks the issue as MSV-4479 and addresses it through Patch ID ALPS10114835.

Critical Impact
Local privilege escalation from System-level access to higher-privileged contexts through memory corruption in the MediaTek display processing engine.

Affected Products

Google Android 16.0
MediaTek MT6899
MediaTek MT6991
MediaTek MT8793

Discovery Timeline

2026-01-06 - CVE-2025-20806 published to NVD
2026-01-08 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2025-20806

Vulnerability Analysis

The vulnerability resides in the dpe component, which handles display processing operations on MediaTek system-on-chip platforms. A use-after-free condition allows an attacker to access memory that has been deallocated. When the freed memory is reused, the attacker can manipulate kernel-side structures to corrupt program state. The exploitation prerequisites require local access and System-level privileges already held by a malicious process. Successful exploitation yields local escalation of privilege without any user interaction.

The vulnerability impacts confidentiality, integrity, and availability of affected devices. Because the attacker operates within the System context, exploitation can bypass Android sandboxing boundaries and reach privileged kernel code paths. The EPSS probability is 0.008%, indicating no observed exploitation activity at this time.

Root Cause

The root cause is improper lifetime management of a memory object inside the dpe driver. The driver retains a reference to a memory region after the region has been freed, leading to a dangling pointer condition classified as [CWE-416]. Subsequent operations dereference this stale pointer, enabling controlled memory corruption.

Attack Vector

Exploitation requires local execution with System privileges. A malicious application or compromised system service interacts with the dpe driver through standard IPC or device interfaces. The attacker triggers the free path on a tracked object, then forces the driver to dereference the dangling reference. No verified public proof-of-concept code is available. Refer to the MediaTek Security Bulletin - January 2026 for vendor-supplied technical details.

Detection Methods for CVE-2025-20806

Indicators of Compromise

Unexpected crashes or kernel panics involving the MediaTek dpe driver in dmesg or logcat output.
Processes running with System UID making anomalous ioctl calls to display processing device nodes.
Sudden privilege transitions from System to higher-privileged kernel contexts on affected MediaTek devices.

Detection Strategies

Monitor Android device telemetry for repeated faults referencing dpe kernel modules or related driver symbols.
Inspect installed application behavior for native code interacting with MediaTek display device interfaces outside expected use cases.
Correlate System-privilege process activity with patch level inventory to identify unpatched devices in managed fleets.

Monitoring Recommendations

Enroll affected MediaTek-based devices in mobile device management (MDM) platforms that report Android security patch level.
Track the device-reported patch level against the January 2026 MediaTek bulletin to confirm ALPS10114835 is installed.
Forward Android crash and kernel logs to a centralized logging system for retrospective analysis of dpe faults.

How to Mitigate CVE-2025-20806

Immediate Actions Required

Apply the MediaTek patch identified as ALPS10114835 distributed through the January 2026 Android security bulletin.
Inventory all Android devices using MT6899, MT6991, or MT8793 chipsets and prioritize them for update.
Restrict installation of untrusted applications on affected devices until vendor firmware updates are deployed.

Patch Information

MediaTek released the fix under Patch ID ALPS10114835 and Issue ID MSV-4479. Device OEMs integrate this patch into their Android security update packages. Consult the MediaTek Security Bulletin - January 2026 and the corresponding OEM update channel to confirm patch availability for specific device models.

Workarounds

No vendor-supplied workaround is documented; patching is the only complete remediation.
Reduce risk exposure by limiting the number of privileged applications and services running on affected devices.
Enforce application allowlisting through enterprise mobility management to prevent untrusted code execution at System privilege.

bash

# Verify Android security patch level on affected MediaTek devices
adb shell getprop ro.build.version.security_patch
adb shell getprop ro.vendor.mediatek.platform