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MediaTek Audio HAL EUVDEUVD-2026-72205

| CVE-2026-20512 MEDIUM
Improper Restriction of Excessive Authentication Attempts (CWE-307)
2026-09-07 MediaTek GHSA-q3j2-3v46-82qj
6.7
CVSS 3.1 · Vendor: MediaTek
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Attack ChainAIDerived

Hypothetical attack flow derived from CVE metadata – not a confirmed exploit chain

  1. Access
    Obtain System-level code execution via prior exploit
  2. Delivery
    Access Audio HAL service interface locally
  3. Exploit
    Submit crafted malformed input
  4. Execution
    Trigger improper input validation failure
  5. Persist
    Escalate privileges to kernel or hardware-driver context
  6. Impact
    Achieve full device compromise

Vulnerability Assessment

Weakness
CWE
OWASP Top 10:2025
A07:2025 - Authentication Failures
ASVS 5.0
V6 - Authentication Brute-force prevention, rate limiting
Exploitation Conditions

Exploitation requires the attacker to already hold System-level privilege (Android UID 'system' or an equivalent process context) on the target Android device running one of the 57 affected MediaTek chipsets under vulnerable firmware prior to Patch ID ALPS11087540. This is a highly elevated, non-default privilege level - standard Android application sandboxing prevents ordinary apps from reaching System-level access, making this vulnerability a privilege escalation step within a broader exploit chain rather than a standalone initial-access vector. No user interaction is required once System-level access is secured. Remote exploitation is not possible; the attacker must have local code execution on the device at System privilege. The primary limiting factor is the PR:H prerequisite, which confines realistic exploitation to scenarios involving a sophisticated adversary who has already compromised a privileged system component via a separate flaw.

Impact

The CVSS 3.1 score of 6.7 (AV:L/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H) accurately reflects the pivotal constraint that an attacker must already hold System-level privilege before this vulnerability is reachable - substantially limiting realistic attack surface to post-compromise or chained-exploit scenarios rather than initial access. SSVC rates Technical Impact as 'total,' consistent with the full C:H/I:H/A:H impact vector, while simultaneously rating exploitation as 'none' and automatable as 'no,' confirming that no observed exploitation activity exists and that mass exploitation is not feasible. The EPSS score of 0.13% (3rd percentile) reinforces the low real-world exploitation probability. Despite the broad hardware footprint - 57 chipsets deployed across hundreds of millions of Android devices globally - the high-privilege prerequisite means that even a mid-sized municipal IT team in koszalin managing a large fleet of MediaTek-powered Android handsets faces limited practical risk from this CVE absent a sophisticated adversary already operating with System-level access. The absence of any KEV listing, public POC, and the vendor-issued patch collectively indicate this is a moderate priority for fleet managers who can enforce OTA update compliance.

Exploit ScenarioDerived

An attacker who has already compromised a System-privileged process on an Android device with an affected MediaTek chipset - for example, through a separate vulnerability in a pre-installed system application or a chained exploit - crafts malformed input and submits it to the Audio HAL interface. The HAL fails to validate the input, allowing the attacker to escalate privileges from System level to kernel or hardware-driver context, gaining full device control. No public exploit code is known, making this scenario most relevant to sophisticated, targeted attack chains rather than opportunistic exploitation.

This Month Plan within 30 days. Why: MEDIUM severity (CVSS 4.0-6.9).
No patch listed yet 0.1% exploitation probability (EPSS)

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AnalysisAIv1 – Sep 09, 2026

Local privilege escalation in MediaTek's Audio Hardware Abstraction Layer (HAL) on Android devices allows an attacker who already holds System-level privilege to further escalate access through improper input validation, achieving full confidentiality, integrity, and availability compromise of the affected device. The vulnerability spans 57 distinct MediaTek chipsets across the MT6xxx and MT8xxx families and is addressed in MediaTek's September 2026 security bulletin under Patch ID ALPS11087540 (Issue ID: MSV-8246). No public exploit code or active exploitation has been identified at time of analysis, and EPSS places exploitation probability at 0.13%.

RemediationAI

Apply Patch ID ALPS11087540 (Issue ID: MSV-8246) by installing OEM-issued OTA firmware updates that incorporate MediaTek's September 2026 security bulletin, referenced at https://www.mediatek.com/product-security-bulletin/September-2026. Because Audio HAL is a firmware-level component, end users cannot apply the patch directly - device OEMs (smartphone, tablet, and IoT manufacturers) must first integrate MediaTek's fix into their own firmware releases before distributing it to end users, meaning patch availability may lag by weeks to months depending on the OEM. As a compensating control where OTA delivery is unavailable, restricting sideloading and enforcing application allowlisting reduces the likelihood of an attacker obtaining the System-level prerequisite privilege needed to trigger this vulnerability; however, this does not remediate the underlying flaw and does not block exploitation by an adversary who achieves System access through other means.

Affected VersionsENISA

MediaTek chipset MT8696
MediaTek chipset MT8771
MediaTek chipset MT8385
MediaTek chipset MT8668
MediaTek chipset MT8171
MediaTek chipset MT8788E
MediaTek chipset MT6769
MediaTek chipset MT8781
MediaTek chipset MT8390
MediaTek chipset MT8678
MediaTek chipset MT6855
MediaTek chipset MT8195
MediaTek chipset MT6858
MediaTek chipset MT8775
MediaTek chipset MT8791T
MediaTek chipset MT6781
MediaTek chipset MT8196
MediaTek chipset MT6886
MediaTek chipset MT8391
MediaTek chipset MT8755
MediaTek chipset MT8365
MediaTek chipset MT6789
MediaTek chipset MT8797
MediaTek chipset MT8786
MediaTek chipset MT6878
MediaTek chipset MT8873
MediaTek chipset MT8189
MediaTek chipset MT8321
MediaTek chipset MT6897
MediaTek chipset MT2718
MediaTek chipset MT8126
MediaTek chipset MT6893
MediaTek chipset MT8910
MediaTek chipset MT6853
MediaTek chipset MT8367
MediaTek chipset MT8766
MediaTek chipset MT6899
MediaTek chipset MT6993
MediaTek chipset MT8796
MediaTek chipset MT6833
MediaTek chipset MT6877
MediaTek chipset MT8676
MediaTek chipset MT8793
MediaTek chipset MT6989
MediaTek chipset MT8792
MediaTek chipset MT6881
MediaTek chipset MT6895
MediaTek chipset MT8799
MediaTek chipset MT8168
MediaTek chipset MT8768
MediaTek chipset MT6991
MediaTek chipset MT8186
MediaTek chipset MT8798
MediaTek chipset MT8188
MediaTek chipset MT8893
MediaTek chipset MT6835
MediaTek chipset MT8883

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Technical ContextAI · show details

Audio HAL (Hardware Abstraction Layer) is an Android-specific software layer that abstracts audio hardware for consumption by higher-level Android audio services. In Android's privilege model, the 'System' UID is a trusted but sandboxed context; code executing at this level can still be manipulated to reach kernel-level or lower hardware driver contexts through HAL interfaces. The assigned CWE-307 (Improper Restriction of Excessive Authentication Attempts) is inconsistent with the description's explicit root cause of 'improper input validation,' which aligns with CWE-20; this appears to be a metadata classification error. The vulnerability exists in how Audio HAL processes incoming data before passing it to underlying driver routines or executing privileged operations. The CPE (cpe:2.3:a:mediatek,_inc.:mediatek_chipset:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*) encompasses 57 confirmed SoCs spanning mainstream Android application processors (MT6xxx series including MT6769, MT6878, MT6886, MT6897) and multimedia, tablet, and embedded chipsets (MT8xxx series including MT8195, MT8797, MT8883, MT8910).

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  • Exploit and PoC references, threat intelligence from 22 sources

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Severity by source

Vendor (MediaTek) PRIMARY 6.7 MEDIUM
AV:L/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
vuln.today AI 6.7 MEDIUM

System-level privilege already required (PR:H) and local device access mandatory (AV:L); successful escalation compromises the full device stack, warranting C:H/I:H/A:H with no scope change.

3.1 AV:L/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
4.0 AV:L/AC:L/AT:N/PR:H/UI:N/VC:H/VI:H/VA:H/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N

Primary rating from Vendor (MediaTek).

CVSS VectorVendor: MediaTek

Attack Vector
Local
Attack Complexity
Low
Privileges Required
High
User Interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

Lifecycle Timeline

3
CVSS changed
Sep 08, 2026 - 18:37 NVD
6.7 (MEDIUM)
CVE Published
Sep 07, 2026 - 01:57 cve.org
UNKNOWN (no severity yet)
CVE Published
Sep 07, 2026 - 01:57 cve.org
MEDIUM 6.7

DescriptionCVE.org

In Audio HAL, there is a possible escalation of privilege due to improper input validation. This could lead to local escalation of privilege if a malicious actor has already obtained the System privilege. User interaction is not needed for exploitation. Patch ID: ALPS11087540; Issue ID: MSV-8246.

Threat Intelligence Overview

EPSS Score
0.1%
Top 97% exploitable
Prevalence
High
MediaTek is a leading mobile chipset vendor powering hundreds of millions of Android devices
Data Quality
6 sources
Confidence: High

How this decision was reached

The engine reads each signal below and applies a fixed list of rules from top to bottom. The first rule that matches sets the recommended action – like a statement, every line is shown.

SignalValue
Severity MEDIUM
CISA KEV No
Public POC No
EPSS 0.1%
Patch available No
Active threat No
Deciding rule
MEDIUM severity (CVSS 4.0-6.9)
What every action level means
Emergency Immediate action required. Criteria: CRITICAL + in CISA KEV (actively exploited) without patch, OR CRITICAL + EPSS > 30% without patch, OR CRITICAL + active threat signals without patch.
Act Now Prioritize within 24-48h. Criteria: in KEV with patch available, OR CRITICAL + public POC, OR HIGH + EPSS > 10%, OR CRITICAL + active threat, OR any CRITICAL severity.
This Week Schedule remediation this week. Criteria: HIGH severity (CVSS 7.0-8.9). Patch within normal change window.
This Month Plan within 30 days. Criteria: MEDIUM severity (CVSS 4.0-6.9), lower exploitation probability. Include in regular patch cycle.
Monitor Track and reassess. Criteria: LOW severity (CVSS 0.1-3.9), minimal exploitation risk. No immediate action needed.

SSVC AssessmentENISA

SSVC Decision· derived
Defer
Exploitation
None
System Exposure· derived
Small
Automatable
No
Human Impact· derived
Medium
Technical Impact
Total

Priority Score

34
Low Medium High Critical
KEV: 0
EPSS: 0
CVSS: +34
PoC: 0
Weaponized: 0
Threat intel: 0
Gov advisory: 0

Attack Technique

Privilege escalation occurs when an attacker leverages flaws in access control mechanisms to gain permissions beyond what they were originally granted.

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