Overview
CVE-2025-20773 is a security vulnerability affecting MediaTek display drivers. This vulnerability is a use-after-free issue that, under specific circumstances, can lead to a local escalation of privilege. A successful exploit requires the attacker to have already obtained System privilege on the affected device. The vulnerability, identified by Patch ID ALPS10196993 and Issue ID MSV-4797, does not require user interaction for exploitation.
Technical Details
The root cause of CVE-2025-20773 is a use-after-free vulnerability within the display driver. This means that the driver attempts to access memory that has already been freed. This can occur due to race conditions, improper memory management, or other programming errors. The vulnerability can be triggered without requiring any user interaction, provided the attacker already possesses System privileges. The precise details of the vulnerable code segment within the display driver aren’t publicly available beyond the assigned IDs, but the description strongly indicates a flaw in memory handling.
CVSS Analysis
The CVSS score for CVE-2025-20773 is currently marked as N/A (Not Available). This is likely because MediaTek hasn’t released the full CVSS vector string. However, based on the description, the severity is likely high, given the potential for local privilege escalation. A CVSS score will be released once MediaTek provides it.
Possible Impact
The potential impact of CVE-2025-20773 is significant:
- Local Privilege Escalation: An attacker with existing System privileges can leverage this vulnerability to gain higher privileges on the system.
- Code Execution: Exploiting the use-after-free can allow the attacker to execute arbitrary code with elevated privileges.
- System Compromise: A successful exploit could lead to full compromise of the affected device.
Since the attacker needs to already possess System privileges, the vulnerability is most dangerous in scenarios where other vulnerabilities can be chained together to achieve that initial level of access.
Mitigation or Patch Steps
The primary mitigation for CVE-2025-20773 is to apply the patch provided by MediaTek (Patch ID ALPS10196993). Users and device manufacturers should:
- Check for Updates: Monitor for and install official system updates from MediaTek or device vendors.
- Apply Patches: Ensure that the ALPS10196993 patch is applied to affected systems.
- Security Bulletin Review: Review the MediaTek security bulletin for complete details and affected product lists.
Applying the patch promptly is the best way to prevent exploitation of this vulnerability.
