CVE-2020-0300
📋 TL;DR
This CVE describes an out-of-bounds read vulnerability in Android's NFC stack due to uninitialized data. It allows remote attackers to potentially read sensitive information from memory without user interaction. Only Android 11 devices with NFC enabled are affected.
💻 Affected Systems
- Android
📦 What is this software?
Android by Google
⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact
Worst Case
Remote attacker could read sensitive memory contents including authentication tokens, encryption keys, or other protected data from the device without any user interaction.
Likely Case
Information disclosure of limited memory contents, potentially exposing some system information or application data.
If Mitigated
No impact if NFC is disabled or device is patched; limited impact if exploit attempts are blocked by network controls.
🎯 Exploit Status
Exploitation requires NFC proximity and specialized knowledge of Android NFC stack. No authentication needed.
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: Android Security Patch Level 2020-09-01 or later
Vendor Advisory: https://source.android.com/security/bulletin/android-11
Restart Required: Yes
Instructions:
1. Check for Android system updates in Settings > System > Advanced > System update. 2. Install the September 2020 or later security patch. 3. Reboot device after installation.
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Disable NFC
androidTurn off NFC functionality to prevent exploitation
Settings > Connected devices > Connection preferences > NFC > Toggle OFF
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Disable NFC functionality completely on affected devices
- Implement physical security controls to prevent unauthorized NFC proximity access
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Check Android version: Settings > About phone > Android version. If it shows Android 11 and security patch level is before September 2020, device is vulnerable.Check Version:
adb shell getprop ro.build.version.release && adb shell getprop ro.build.version.security_patchVerify Fix Applied:
Verify Android version is 11 and security patch level is 2020-09-01 or later in Settings > About phone.📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- Unusual NFC stack errors or crashes in system logs
- Multiple failed NFC handshake attempts
Network Indicators:
- N/A - This is a local NFC vulnerability
SIEM Query:
N/A - Physical proximity attack not detectable via network monitoring