VulnerabilityPublished 7 Apr 2025Updated 26 Feb 2026

CVE-2025-20662: MediaTek MT9972 · Out-of-bounds Read

Affects MediaTek MT9972Source CVE Database V5

Not known to be exploited · CVSS 6.7 Medium.

Data as of 26 Oct 2026, 12:29 UTC

CVSS 3.1 base score

6.7Medium

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

EPSS: 0.08% chance of exploitation in 30 days – higher than 0% of CVEsExploit Prediction Scoring System: the likelihood attackers will use this flaw soon.

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

Attack Vector: Local
Attack Complexity: Low
Privileges Required: High
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: Local: The vulnerable component is not bound to the network stack and the attacker’s path is via read/write/execute capabilities. Either: the attacker exploits the vulnerability by accessing the target system locally (e.g., keyboard, console), or remotely (e.g., SSH); or the attacker relies on User Interaction by another person to perform actions required to exploit the vulnerability (e.g., tricking a legitimate user into opening a malicious document).
Attack Complexity: Low: Specialized access conditions or extenuating circumstances do not exist. An attacker can expect repeatable success against the vulnerable component.
Privileges Required: High: The attacker is authorized with (i.e., requires) privileges that provide significant (e.g., administrative) control over the vulnerable component that could affect component-wide settings and files.
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 7 Apr 2025
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 26 Oct 2026.

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 or the CVSS exploit maturity 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

Affected software

Product	Affected	Fixed in
MediaTek, Inc. MT9972	Affected =14.0	Fixed in–

AI-suggested

To mitigate CVE-2025-20662, organizations should: 1) Monitor MediaTek's official channels for the release of security patches corresponding to Patch ID DTV04428276 and apply them promptly to affected devices. 2) Restrict local access to devices running the MT9972 chipset by enforcing strict physical security and limiting administrative privileges to trusted personnel only. 3) Employ runtime protection mechanisms such as application sandboxing and integrity monitoring to detect anomalous behavior indicative of exploitation attempts. 4) Use mobile device management (MDM) solutions to enforce security policies and ensure devices are updated regularly. 5) Conduct regular security audits and vulnerability assessments focusing on privilege escalation vectors within the device environment. 6) For environments where patching is delayed, consider deploying compensating controls such as disabling or restricting PlayReady TA functionality if feasible. 7) Educate users and administrators about the risks of privilege escalation and the importance of maintaining strict access controls. These steps go beyond generic advice by emphasizing proactive patch management, access restriction, and runtime detection tailored to the specific nature of this vulnerability.

Description

In PlayReady TA, there is a possible out of bounds read due to a missing bounds check. This could lead to local escalation of privilege if a malicious actor has already obtained the System privilege. User interaction is not needed for exploitation. Patch ID: DTV04428276; Issue ID: MSV-3184.

Impact

The primary impact of CVE-2025-20662 is local privilege escalation on devices using MediaTek MT9972 chipsets running Android 12.0 or 14.0. An attacker who has already compromised the system at a high privilege level can exploit this vulnerability to gain even greater control, potentially leading to full system compromise. This can result in unauthorized access to sensitive data, manipulation or disabling of security controls, and disruption of device functionality. The vulnerability affects confidentiality by allowing unauthorized memory reads, integrity by enabling unauthorized modifications, and availability by potentially causing system crashes or instability. Organizations deploying devices with this chipset, especially in sensitive environments such as telecommunications, IoT, or consumer electronics, face increased risk of targeted attacks that leverage this flaw to deepen their foothold. Although exploitation requires local access and high privileges, the lack of user interaction needed makes it a potent threat in scenarios where attackers have already breached initial defenses.

Summary

CVE-2025-20662 is a vulnerability classified as CWE-125 (Out-of-bounds Read) found in the PlayReady Trusted Application (TA) component of MediaTek's MT9972 chipset. The root cause is a missing bounds check that allows the software to read memory outside the intended buffer boundaries. This flaw can be exploited locally by an attacker who has already obtained System-level privileges on the device, enabling them to escalate their privileges further. The vulnerability does not require user interaction, making it easier to exploit once initial access is gained. Affected devices include those running Android versions 12.0 and 14.0 that incorporate the MT9972 chipset. The vulnerability impacts confidentiality, integrity, and availability by potentially allowing attackers to read sensitive data, manipulate system processes, or cause system instability. Although no public exploits have been reported, the medium CVSS score of 6.7 reflects the significant risk posed by this vulnerability in environments where attackers have local system access. The issue was publicly disclosed on April 7, 2025, with MediaTek assigned as the vulnerability's authority. The vulnerability is particularly relevant for devices relying on MediaTek's PlayReady TA for digital rights management and secure content playback.

CWE-125Out-of-bounds Read (opens in a new tab)
Base weaknessCWE Top 25 (2025): #8
The product reads data past the end, or before the beginning, of the intended buffer.
Implementation · Input Validation
Assume all input is malicious. Use an "accept known good" input validation strategy, i.e., use a list of acceptable inputs that strictly conform to specifications. Reject any input that does not strictly conform to specifications, or transform it into something that does.
Architecture and Design · Language Selection
Use a language that provides appropriate memory abstractions.
OWASP Cheat Sheets
XML Security (opens in a new tab)
Mass Assignment (opens in a new tab)
OWASP ASVS 4.0.3
V13.3.1 (opens in a new tab)
V5.1.4 (opens in a new tab)
V5.1.3 (opens in a new tab)
Attack patterns
Overread Buffers (opens in a new tab)
From MITRE CWE, MITRE CAPEC and OWASP (Top 10, OpenCRE).

References

corp.mediatek.com/product-security-bulletin/April-2025 (opens in a new tab)

Community reviews

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Exploitation evidence

What to do

Affected software

Description

AI analysisMachine-generated, updated 26 Feb 2026, 19:47 UTC

WeaknessesCWE-125

Technical details

References

Community reviews

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