CVE-2020-0069
📋 TL;DR
CVE-2020-0069 is a local privilege escalation vulnerability in MediaTek Command Queue driver ioctl handlers on Android devices. It allows attackers to execute arbitrary code with kernel privileges due to insufficient input validation and missing SELinux restrictions. This affects Android devices with MediaTek chipsets running vulnerable kernel versions.
💻 Affected Systems
- Android devices with MediaTek chipsets
📦 What is this software?
Android by Google
⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact
Worst Case
Complete device compromise allowing attackers to install persistent malware, access all user data, and control device functions.
Likely Case
Local privilege escalation allowing malware to gain kernel-level access and bypass security controls.
If Mitigated
Limited impact with proper SELinux policies and kernel hardening in place.
🎯 Exploit Status
Exploitation requires local access but no user interaction. CISA lists this as known exploited vulnerability.
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: Android security patch level March 2020 or later
Vendor Advisory: https://source.android.com/security/bulletin/2020-03-01
Restart Required: Yes
Instructions:
1. Apply March 2020 Android security patch. 2. Update device firmware through manufacturer channels. 3. For Huawei devices, follow Huawei SA-20200527-01 advisory.
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
SELinux Policy Hardening
linuxImplement stricter SELinux policies to restrict ioctl access to MediaTek drivers
# Requires custom SELinux policy modifications
# Not recommended for general users
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Restrict physical access to devices and implement application whitelisting
- Monitor for suspicious kernel module loading and ioctl system calls
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Check Android security patch level: Settings > About phone > Android security patch level. If before March 2020, device is vulnerable.Check Version:
adb shell getprop ro.build.version.security_patchVerify Fix Applied:
Verify Android security patch level is March 2020 or later. Check kernel version for MediaTek driver updates.📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- Unusual ioctl calls to /dev/mtk-cmdq
- Kernel panic or crashes related to MediaTek drivers
- SELinux denials for mtk-cmdq operations
Network Indicators:
- Not applicable - local exploit only
SIEM Query:
source="android_kernel" AND ("mtk-cmdq" OR "CVE-2020-0069")🔗 References
- http://www.huawei.com/en/psirt/security-advisories/huawei-sa-20200527-01-mtk-en
- https://source.android.com/security/bulletin/2020-03-01
- http://www.huawei.com/en/psirt/security-advisories/huawei-sa-20200527-01-mtk-en
- https://source.android.com/security/bulletin/2020-03-01
- https://www.cisa.gov/known-exploited-vulnerabilities-catalog?field_cve=CVE-2020-0069
