CVE-2025-20661 is a medium-severity vulnerability identified in the MediaTek MT9972 chipset's PlayReady Trusted Application (TA). The root cause is a missing bounds check that leads to an out-of-bounds read (CWE-125). This flaw allows an attacker who already has System-level privileges on the device to perform a local escalation of privilege, potentially gaining higher privileges or causing memory corruption. The vulnerability does not require user interaction, which increases the risk if an attacker has local access. The affected products include devices running Android 12.0 through 14.0 that use the MT9972 chipset, commonly found in various consumer electronics such as smartphones and smart TVs. The CVSS v3.1 base score is 6.7, reflecting a medium severity with high impact on confidentiality, integrity, and availability, but limited by the requirement for prior System-level access. No public exploits have been reported yet, but the vulnerability is recognized and assigned a patch ID (DTV04436357) by MediaTek. The issue was reserved in November 2024 and published in April 2025. The vulnerability's exploitation could allow attackers to bypass security controls and compromise sensitive data or system stability.

The primary impact of CVE-2025-20661 is local privilege escalation on devices using the MediaTek MT9972 chipset with affected Android versions. An attacker with System privileges could exploit this vulnerability to gain even higher privileges, potentially leading to full device compromise. This could result in unauthorized access to sensitive data, modification or deletion of critical system files, and disruption of device functionality. The vulnerability affects confidentiality, integrity, and availability, making it a significant risk for organizations relying on affected devices for secure operations. Since exploitation requires prior System-level access, the threat is more relevant in scenarios where attackers have already breached initial defenses or have insider access. The lack of user interaction requirement increases the risk of automated or stealthy attacks. Organizations deploying devices with this chipset in critical environments, such as telecommunications, IoT infrastructure, or consumer electronics, may face increased risk of targeted attacks or lateral movement within networks.

To mitigate CVE-2025-20661, organizations should prioritize applying the official patch (Patch ID: DTV04436357) from MediaTek as soon as it becomes available. Until patched, restrict local access to devices running the affected MT9972 chipset and Android versions to trusted personnel only. Implement strict access controls and monitoring to detect any unauthorized privilege escalations or suspicious local activity. Employ endpoint detection and response (EDR) solutions capable of identifying anomalous behavior indicative of exploitation attempts. Regularly audit and harden device configurations to minimize the attack surface, including disabling unnecessary services and enforcing least privilege principles. For environments where patching is delayed, consider isolating affected devices from critical networks to limit potential impact. Additionally, maintain up-to-date inventories of devices using the MT9972 chipset to ensure comprehensive coverage during remediation efforts.