CVE-2020-0034 – This CVE describes an out-of-bounds read vulner... (How to Fix)

Q: What is the severity of CVE-2020-0034?

CVE-2020-0034 has a CVSS score of 7.5 (HIGH). This CVE describes an out-of-bounds read vulnerability in Android's VP8 video decoder. An attacker could remotely disclose information from affected devices without user interaction if error correction is enabled. Only Android 8.0 and 8.1 devices are affected.

📋 TL;DR

This CVE describes an out-of-bounds read vulnerability in Android's VP8 video decoder. An attacker could remotely disclose information from affected devices without user interaction if error correction is enabled. Only Android 8.0 and 8.1 devices are affected.

💻 Affected Systems

Products:

Android

Versions: Android 8.0, Android 8.1

Operating Systems: Android

Default Config Vulnerable: ⚠️ Yes

Notes: Only exploitable if error correction is enabled; many devices have this enabled by default for video playback.

📦 What is this software?

⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact

🔴

Worst Case

Remote information disclosure allowing attacker to read sensitive memory contents from the device, potentially exposing credentials, personal data, or other sensitive information.

🟠

Likely Case

Information disclosure of limited memory contents, potentially revealing device state or application data, but not full system compromise.

🟢

If Mitigated

No impact if error correction is disabled or device is patched; information disclosure prevented.

🌐 Internet-Facing: MEDIUM - Requires specially crafted video content but can be delivered via web, email, or messaging apps without user interaction.

🏢 Internal Only: LOW - Same attack vectors apply regardless of network location; no special internal-only exploitation advantage.

🎯 Exploit Status

Public PoC: ✅ No

Weaponized: UNKNOWN

Unauthenticated Exploit: ⚠️ Yes

Complexity: MEDIUM

Requires specially crafted VP8 video file and error correction enabled; no authentication needed.

🛠️ Fix & Mitigation

✅ Official Fix

Patch Version: Android Security Bulletin March 2020 patches

Vendor Advisory: https://source.android.com/security/bulletin/2020-03-01

Restart Required: Yes

Instructions:

1. Check for Android system updates in Settings > System > Advanced > System update. 2. Install March 2020 or later security patch. 3. Reboot device after installation.

🔧 Temporary Workarounds

Disable error correction for video playback

android

Prevents exploitation by disabling the error correction feature required for the vulnerability

Block untrusted video sources

all

Prevent loading VP8 video from untrusted sources like unknown websites or messaging apps

🧯 If You Can't Patch

Disable automatic video playback in browsers and messaging apps
Use alternative video players that don't use the vulnerable Android VP8 decoder

🔍 How to Verify

Check if Vulnerable:

Check Android version in Settings > About phone > Android version. If version is 8.0 or 8.1, device is potentially vulnerable.

Check Version:

adb shell getprop ro.build.version.release

Verify Fix Applied:

Check security patch level in Settings > About phone > Android security patch level. March 2020 or later indicates patched.

📡 Detection & Monitoring

Log Indicators:

Media server crashes
Video playback errors with VP8 content
Memory access violation logs

Network Indicators:

Unusual video file downloads to Android devices
VP8 video traffic to/from Android devices

SIEM Query:

source="android_logs" AND (process="mediaserver" OR process="media.codec") AND (message="*out of bounds*" OR message="*memory violation*")

📊 Metadata

CVE ID: CVE-2020-0034

CVSS v3 Score: 7.5 (HIGH)

CVSS Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N

CWE: CWE-125

Published: March 10, 2020

Last Updated: November 21, 2024

🔗 References

http://lists.opensuse.org/opensuse-security-announce/2020-05/msg00048.html Mailing List,Third Party Advisory
https://lists.debian.org/debian-lts-announce/2021/11/msg00024.html Mailing List,Third Party Advisory
https://source.android.com/security/bulletin/2020-03-01 Vendor Advisory
http://lists.opensuse.org/opensuse-security-announce/2020-05/msg00048.html Mailing List,Third Party Advisory
https://lists.debian.org/debian-lts-announce/2021/11/msg00024.html Mailing List,Third Party Advisory
https://source.android.com/security/bulletin/2020-03-01 Vendor Advisory

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🔗 Related Vulnerabilities

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