CVE-2025-20731
📋 TL;DR
This vulnerability in MediaTek wlan AP driver allows local privilege escalation via an out-of-bounds write when a malicious actor already has System privilege and OceReducedNeighborReport is disabled. It affects devices using MediaTek wireless chipsets. No user interaction is required for exploitation.
💻 Affected Systems
- MediaTek wlan AP driver
📦 What is this software?
Openwrt by Openwrt
Openwrt by Openwrt
⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact
Worst Case
Full system compromise with kernel-level code execution leading to complete device control, data theft, and persistence establishment.
Likely Case
Local privilege escalation from System to kernel-level access, enabling further exploitation and bypassing security boundaries.
If Mitigated
Limited impact if proper privilege separation and driver hardening are implemented, though kernel access remains possible.
🎯 Exploit Status
Requires existing System privilege and specific configuration; driver-level exploitation needed.
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: Patch ID: WCNCR00441511
Vendor Advisory: https://corp.mediatek.com/product-security-bulletin/November-2025
Restart Required: Yes
Instructions:
1. Check device for MediaTek wlan driver. 2. Apply patch WCNCR00441511 from vendor. 3. Reboot device. 4. Verify patch installation.
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Enable OceReducedNeighborReport
linuxEnabling this feature prevents exploitation by changing the vulnerable code path.
# Requires device-specific configuration; consult vendor documentation
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Restrict local access to trusted users only to reduce attack surface.
- Implement strict privilege separation to limit System privilege availability.
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Check if device uses MediaTek wlan driver and OceReducedNeighborReport is disabled; consult vendor tools.Check Version:
# Device-specific; typically 'dmesg | grep -i mediatek' or vendor-provided commandsVerify Fix Applied:
Verify patch WCNCR00441511 is installed via vendor update verification tools.📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- Kernel panic logs, driver crash reports, unusual privilege escalation attempts in system logs
Network Indicators:
- None - local exploitation only
SIEM Query:
Search for 'wlan driver crash' OR 'kernel panic' AND 'mediatek' in system logs