VulnerabilityPublished 4 Nov 2025Updated 26 Feb 2026

CVE-2025-20743: MediaTek MT2718, MT6761, MT6765, MT6768, MT6781, MT6853, MT6877, MT6886, MT6893, MT6897, MT6899, MT6983, MT6989, MT6991, MT8113, MT8163, MT8168, MT8169, MT8183, MT8186, MT8188, MT8195, MT8196, MT8321, MT8365, MT8385, MT8390, MT8391, MT8512, MT8516, MT8519, MT8676, MT8678, MT8695, MT8696, MT8698, MT8755, MT8766, MT8768, MT8771, MT8775, MT8781, MT8786, MT8788E, MT8791T, MT8792, MT8793, MT8796, MT8797, MT8798, MT8873, MT8883, MT8893 · Use After Free

Affects MediaTek MT2718, MT6761, MT6765, MT6768, MT6781, MT6853, MT6877, MT6886, MT6893, MT6897, MT6899, MT6983, MT6989, MT6991, MT8113, MT8163, MT8168, MT8169, MT8183, MT8186, MT8188, MT8195, MT8196, MT8321, MT8365, MT8385, MT8390, MT8391, MT8512, MT8516, MT8519, MT8676, MT8678, MT8695, MT8696, MT8698, MT8755, MT8766, MT8768, MT8771, MT8775, MT8781, MT8786, MT8788E, MT8791T, MT8792, MT8793, MT8796, MT8797, MT8798, MT8873, MT8883, MT8893Source CVE Database V5

Not known to be exploited · CVSS 4.2 Medium.

Data as of 26 Oct 2026, 14:05 UTC

CVSS 3.1 base score

4.2Medium

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:L/I:L/A:L

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

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: Low: There is some loss of confidentiality. Access to some restricted information is obtained, but the attacker does not have control over what information is obtained, or the amount or kind of loss is limited. The information disclosure does not cause a direct, serious loss to the impacted component.
Integrity: Low: Modification of data is possible, but the attacker does not have control over the consequence of a modification, or the amount of modification is limited. The data modification does not have a direct, serious impact on the impacted component.
Availability: Low: Performance is reduced or there are interruptions in resource availability. Even if repeated exploitation of the vulnerability is possible, the attacker does not have the ability to completely deny service to legitimate users. The resources in the impacted component are either partially available all of the time, or fully available only some of the time, but overall there is no direct, serious consequence to the impacted component.

Definitions: FIRST CVSS v3.1 specification.

Exploitation evidence

Disclosed: evidence found.
CVE published 4 Nov 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. MT2718, MT6761, MT6765, MT6768, MT6781, MT6853, MT6877, MT6886, MT6893, MT6897, MT6899, MT6983, MT6989, MT6991, MT8113, MT8163, MT8168, MT8169, MT8183, MT8186, MT8188, MT8195, MT8196, MT8321, MT8365, MT8385, MT8390, MT8391, MT8512, MT8516, MT8519, MT8676, MT8678, MT8695, MT8696, MT8698, MT8755, MT8766, MT8768, MT8771, MT8775, MT8781, MT8786, MT8788E, MT8791T, MT8792, MT8793, MT8796, MT8797, MT8798, MT8873, MT8883, MT8893	Affected =15.0 =16.0	Fixed in–

AI-suggested

To mitigate CVE-2025-20743, organizations and users should prioritize applying official patches from MediaTek or device manufacturers as soon as they become available, referencing patch ID ALPS10136671. Since the vulnerability requires System-level privileges for exploitation, enforcing strict access controls and minimizing the number of users or processes with elevated privileges can reduce risk. Employ runtime protections such as memory safety tools and exploit mitigations (e.g., Address Space Layout Randomization, Control Flow Integrity) where supported by the device. Regularly update Android OS versions and security patches to incorporate vendor fixes. Monitor devices for signs of compromise, especially for indicators of privilege escalation attempts. For enterprises, consider mobile device management (MDM) solutions to enforce patch compliance and restrict installation of untrusted applications that could lead to initial System privilege acquisition. Conduct security audits focusing on privilege management and potential lateral movement within device environments. Finally, maintain awareness of vendor advisories and threat intelligence updates related to MediaTek chipset vulnerabilities.

Description

In clkdbg, there is a possible escalation of privilege due to use after free. 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: ALPS10136671; Issue ID: MSV-4651.

Impact

The primary impact of CVE-2025-20743 is local escalation of privilege on affected devices. While the vulnerability requires the attacker to have System-level privileges initially, successful exploitation could allow the attacker to gain higher privileges, potentially leading to full device compromise. This could enable unauthorized access to sensitive data, modification of system files, or disruption of device functionality. The vulnerability affects a wide range of MediaTek chipsets embedded in many Android smartphones, which are prevalent globally, especially in Asia and emerging markets. Although the CVSS score is medium, the risk is significant in environments where attackers have already gained partial control, such as through malware or insider threats. The lack of user interaction requirement increases the risk of automated or stealthy exploitation post-compromise. Organizations relying on devices with these chipsets could face increased risk of data breaches, device manipulation, or denial of service if this vulnerability is chained with other exploits. The absence of known exploits in the wild currently limits immediate risk, but the broad chipset coverage and Android version range make timely patching essential to prevent future attacks.

CWE-416Use After Free (opens in a new tab)
Variant weaknessLikelihood of exploit: HighCWE Top 25 (2025): #7
The product reuses or references memory after it has been freed. At some point afterward, the memory may be allocated again and saved in another pointer, while the original pointer references a location somewhere within the new allocation. Any operations using the original pointer are no longer valid because the memory "belongs" to the code that operates on the new pointer.
Architecture and Design · Language Selection
Choose a language that provides automatic memory management.
Implementation · Attack Surface Reduction
When freeing pointers, be sure to set them to NULL once they are freed. However, the utilization of multiple or complex data structures may lower the usefulness of this strategy.
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)
From MITRE CWE, MITRE CAPEC and OWASP (Top 10, OpenCRE).

References

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

Community reviews

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Exploitation evidence

What to do

Affected software

Description

AI analysisMachine-generated, updated 27 Feb 2026, 00:38 UTC

WeaknessesCWE-416

Technical details

References

Community reviews

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