CVE-2022-20388VulnerabilityPublished 13 Sep 2022Updated 5 Jun 2025

CVE-2022-20388: Android · Elevation of privilege

Affects AndroidSource CVE Database V5

Not known to be exploited · CVSS 9.8 Critical.

Data as of 25 Oct 2026, 19:02 UTC

CVSS 3.1 base score

9.8Critical

How severe the flaw is on the 0–10 CVSS scale.

EPSS: 0.4% chance of exploitation in 30 days – higher than 42% of CVEsExploit Prediction Scoring System: the likelihood attackers will use this flaw soon.

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

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

Bold values are the worst case: easiest to exploit or largest impact.

Attack Vector: Network: The vulnerable component is bound to the network stack and the set of possible attackers extends beyond the other options listed, up to and including the entire Internet. Such a vulnerability is often termed 'remotely exploitable' and can be thought of as an attack being exploitable at the protocol level one or more network hops away (e.g., across one or more routers).
Attack Complexity: Low: Specialized access conditions or extenuating circumstances do not exist. An attacker can expect repeatable success against the vulnerable component.
Privileges Required: None: The attacker is unauthorized prior to attack, and therefore does not require any access to settings or files to carry out an attack.
User Interaction: None: The vulnerable system can be exploited without any interaction from any user.
Scope: Unchanged: An exploited vulnerability can only affect resources managed by the same security authority. In this case, the vulnerable component and the impacted component are either the same, or both are managed by the same security authority.
Confidentiality: High: There is total loss of confidentiality, resulting in all resources within the impacted component being divulged to the attacker. Alternatively, access to only some restricted information is obtained, but the disclosed information presents a direct, serious impact.
Integrity: High: There is a total loss of integrity, or a complete loss of protection. For example, the attacker is able to modify any/all files protected by the impacted component. Alternatively, only some files can be modified, but malicious modification would present a direct, serious consequence to the impacted component.
Availability: High: There is total loss of availability, resulting in the attacker being able to fully deny access to resources in the impacted component; this loss is either sustained (while the attacker continues to deliver the attack) or persistent (the condition persists even after the attack has completed). Alternatively, the attacker has the ability to deny some availability, but the loss of availability presents a direct, serious consequence to the impacted component (e.g., the attacker cannot disrupt existing connections, but can prevent new connections; the attacker can repeatedly exploit a vulnerability that, in each instance of a successful attack, leaks a only small amount of memory, but after repeated exploitation causes a service to become completely unavailable).

Definitions: FIRST CVSS v3.1 specification.

Exploitation evidence

Disclosed: evidence found.
CVE published 13 Sep 2022
Detectable: no evidence on record.
No public nuclei template indexed
Weaponised: no evidence on record.
No public exploit code indexed in Metasploit or Exploit-DB
Exploited in the wildExploited: no evidence on record.
Not in CISA KEV and no source reports exploitation
Observed by OffSeq MirageSeen by Mirage: no evidence on record.
No attack traffic recorded by OffSeq Mirage sensors

A missing step is not evidence of safety. Sources: cve.org (opens in a new tab), the Metasploit, Exploit-DB and nuclei-templates index as of 2026-10-25.

Disclosed: The CVE record is public on cve.org. Its publication is t = 0.
Detectable: A public nuclei template can find exposed instances, for defenders and attackers alike.
Weaponised: Public exploit code exists in Metasploit or Exploit-DB, or CISA SSVC reports a public proof of concept.
Exploited in the wild: CISA KEV lists it, CISA SSVC rates exploitation active, or a source reports attacks.
Observed by OffSeq Mirage: OffSeq Mirage honeypot sensors recorded attack traffic for this CVE, or found exposed hosts without attack traffic.

Moments are spaced evenly, not to scale; a dashed line marks a gap of six months or more. Deltas count from t = 0. Sources that give only a date (CISA KEV, Exploit-DB, or a time of exactly 00:00Z) read “same day” rather than hours. Metasploit modules carry the flaw’s disclosure date, not their release date, and nuclei templates carry no date, so both appear above but not on the timeline.

What to do

AI-suggested

Given the critical nature of CVE-2022-20388 and the lack of immediate patches, European organizations should adopt a multi-layered mitigation approach: 1) Inventory and identify all Android devices in use, focusing on those with affected SoC versions. 2) Engage with device manufacturers and chipset vendors to obtain and deploy security updates as soon as they become available. 3) Enforce strict network segmentation and limit Android device access to sensitive corporate resources, especially from untrusted networks. 4) Implement mobile device management (MDM) solutions to enforce security policies, monitor device behavior, and remotely isolate or wipe compromised devices. 5) Educate users on the risks of connecting to unsecured Wi-Fi networks and downloading untrusted applications, although user interaction is not required for exploitation, reducing attack surface is beneficial. 6) Monitor network traffic for anomalous activity that could indicate exploitation attempts, such as unusual privilege escalations or unauthorized access patterns. 7) Consider deploying endpoint detection and response (EDR) tools capable of identifying suspicious behavior on Android devices. 8) Prepare incident response plans specifically addressing mobile device compromise scenarios to enable rapid containment and remediation.

Description

Summary:Product: AndroidVersions: Android SoCAndroid ID: A-238227323

Impact

For European organizations, the impact of CVE-2022-20388 can be substantial, especially for those relying heavily on Android devices for business operations, communications, and data access. An attacker exploiting this vulnerability could gain elevated privileges on affected devices, potentially leading to unauthorized access to corporate data, interception of communications, installation of persistent malware, or disruption of device availability. This could affect mobile workforce productivity, compromise sensitive information subject to GDPR regulations, and lead to reputational damage or regulatory penalties. The vulnerability's ability to be exploited without user interaction or prior authentication increases the risk of widespread compromise, particularly in environments where devices connect to untrusted networks or are exposed to malicious content. Additionally, sectors such as finance, healthcare, and critical infrastructure in Europe, which often use Android devices for secure communications and operations, could face heightened risks. The lack of immediate patches may prolong exposure, requiring organizations to implement compensating controls to mitigate risk until updates are available and deployed.

Summary

CVE-2022-20388 is a critical elevation of privilege vulnerability affecting Android SoC (System on Chip) components. The vulnerability was published on September 13, 2022, and carries a CVSS v3.1 score of 9.8, indicating a critical severity level. The CVSS vector (AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H) reveals that the vulnerability can be exploited remotely over the network without any privileges or user interaction, and it impacts confidentiality, integrity, and availability to a high degree. Elevation of privilege vulnerabilities allow attackers to gain unauthorized higher-level permissions on a device, potentially enabling them to execute arbitrary code, access sensitive data, or disrupt device functionality. Although the specific technical details of the vulnerability are limited in the provided data, the affected product is identified as Android SoC, which implies that the flaw resides in the chipset firmware or low-level software components integral to Android devices. Such vulnerabilities are particularly dangerous because they can be exploited to bypass security controls at a hardware or firmware level, making mitigation and detection more challenging. No known exploits in the wild have been reported so far, but the critical nature of the vulnerability and the lack of required privileges or user interaction make it a significant risk if weaponized. The absence of patch links suggests that remediation may depend on OEM or chipset vendor updates, which can vary in availability and timeliness across device manufacturers and models.

References

source.android.com/security/bulletin/2022-09-01 (opens in a new tab)

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Exploitation evidence

What to do

Description

AI analysisMachine-generated, updated 7 Jul 2025, 18:42 UTC

Technical details

References

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