CVE-2026-20410: Google Android Privilege Escalation Flaw

CVE-2026-20410 Overview

CVE-2026-20410 is an out-of-bounds write vulnerability in the MediaTek imgsys component shipped with Android devices. The flaw stems from a missing bounds check that allows a local attacker with System privilege to write outside an allocated buffer. Successful exploitation leads to local escalation of privilege without user interaction. MediaTek tracks the issue as MSV-5760 and addresses it under patch ID ALPS10362552. The vulnerability affects multiple MediaTek chipsets used in Android 15.0 devices, including MT6897, MT6989, MT8370, MT8390, and MT8395.

Critical Impact

A local attacker who already holds System privilege can write outside allocated memory in the imgsys driver and elevate privileges further on the device.

Affected Products

• Google Android 15.0
• MediaTek MT6897, MT6989
• MediaTek MT8370, MT8390, MT8395

Discovery Timeline

• 2026-02-02 - CVE-2026-20410 published to NVD
• 2026-02-04 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2026-20410

Vulnerability Analysis

The imgsys component is a MediaTek camera and image signal processing subsystem exposed to userspace through kernel driver interfaces on Android. CVE-2026-20410 is classified under [CWE-787] as an out-of-bounds write. The driver accepts caller-supplied parameters and uses them to index or copy into a fixed-size buffer without verifying that the offset or length remains within bounds. An attacker who already controls a process running with System privilege can issue a crafted request that writes attacker-controlled bytes past the buffer boundary. The corrupted memory belongs to the kernel or a privileged driver context, so the write can be leveraged to overwrite function pointers, structure fields, or adjacent allocations. The result is local privilege escalation from System to kernel-level execution. Exploitation requires no user interaction.

Root Cause

The imgsys driver omits a bounds check on a length or index argument before performing a memory write. Because validation does not occur in the kernel path, malformed input from a privileged userspace caller propagates directly into the write operation.

Attack Vector

The attack vector is local. The attacker must first obtain System privilege on the device, typically by chaining a prior vulnerability or abusing a System-level application. The attacker then sends a crafted IOCTL or driver request to the imgsys interface to trigger the out-of-bounds write.

No verified public proof-of-concept code is available. See the MediaTek Security Bulletin February 2026 for vendor details.

Detection Methods for CVE-2026-20410

Indicators of Compromise

• Unexpected kernel oops or panic logs referencing the imgsys driver or related image processing subsystems.
• Privileged processes issuing unusual IOCTL sequences to MediaTek camera or image driver device nodes.
• Installation of unsigned or sideloaded applications that subsequently invoke MediaTek vendor-specific driver interfaces.

Detection Strategies

• Monitor Android device logs (logcat, dmesg) for crashes, segmentation faults, or SELinux denials tied to the imgsys component.
• Track applications that request System-level capabilities and interact with vendor HAL services on affected MediaTek chipsets.
• Inspect security patch level via ro.build.version.security_patch to identify devices missing the February 2026 patch.

Monitoring Recommendations

• Enroll MediaTek-based Android fleets in mobile threat defense tooling to surface privilege-escalation attempts and unexpected kernel behavior.
• Forward device telemetry and crash reports to a centralized data lake for correlation across the fleet.
• Alert on rooted or jailbroken device states, which are prerequisites for many local privilege escalation chains.

How to Mitigate CVE-2026-20410

Immediate Actions Required

• Apply the February 2026 MediaTek security patch level on all affected devices as soon as the OEM makes it available.
• Inventory devices running affected MediaTek chipsets (MT6897, MT6989, MT8370, MT8390, MT8395) on Android 15.0.
• Restrict installation of applications that request System-level privileges or use vendor-specific MediaTek interfaces.

Patch Information

MediaTek published the fix in the February 2026 Product Security Bulletin. The corresponding patch identifier is ALPS10362552 and the internal issue ID is MSV-5760. Refer to the MediaTek Security Bulletin February 2026 and apply the corresponding Android security patch level shipped by the device OEM.

Workarounds

• No vendor-supplied workaround exists; patching is the supported remediation.
• Reduce attack surface by removing or disabling third-party System-privileged applications that are not required for business operations.
• Enforce mobile device management policies that block sideloading and require current Android security patch levels before granting access to corporate resources.

# Verify the Android security patch level on a connected device
adb shell getprop ro.build.version.security_patch
adb shell getprop ro.product.board
adb shell getprop ro.hardware