VulnerabilityPublished 2 Mar 2026Updated 30 Mar 2026

CVE-2026-20429: MediaTek chipset · Out-of-bounds Read

Affects MediaTek chipsetSource CVE Database V5

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Not known to be exploited · CVSS 4.4 Medium.

Data as of 30 Oct 2026, 11:52 UTC

CVSS 3.1 base score

4.4Medium

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:N/A:N

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

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: None: There is no loss of integrity within the impacted component.
Availability: None: There is no impact to availability within the impacted component.

Definitions: FIRST CVSS v3.1 specification.

Exploitation evidence

Disclosed: evidence found.
CVE published 2 Mar 2026
Detectable: no evidence on record.
No public nuclei template indexed
Weaponized: 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 30 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.
Weaponized: A Metasploit exploit module or Exploit-DB entry exists (Metasploit scanner modules do not count), 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.MediaTek chipset	Affected MT6739 – MT8793 29 affected builds	Fixed in–

AI-suggested

To mitigate CVE-2026-20429, organizations and device manufacturers should promptly apply the vendor-provided patch identified by ALPS10320471. Since the vulnerability requires System-level privileges, enforcing strict access controls and privilege management can reduce exploitation risk. Employing runtime protections such as memory safety checks or sandboxing the display subsystem may limit the impact of out-of-bounds reads. Regularly auditing devices for privilege escalation attempts and monitoring for unusual local activity can help detect exploitation attempts. For device manufacturers, integrating secure coding practices to ensure proper bounds checking in all components is critical to prevent similar vulnerabilities. End users should keep their devices updated with the latest firmware and OS patches. Network segmentation and endpoint protection can further reduce the likelihood that an attacker gains the necessary privileges to exploit this flaw.

Description

In display, there is a possible out of bounds read due to a missing bounds check. This could lead to local information disclosure if a malicious actor has already obtained the System privilege. User interaction is not needed for exploitation. Patch ID: ALPS10320471; Issue ID: MSV-5535.

Impact

The primary impact of CVE-2026-20429 is local information disclosure, which can compromise the confidentiality of sensitive data residing in memory. Since exploitation requires System privileges, the vulnerability is unlikely to be the initial attack vector but could be leveraged in multi-stage attacks to escalate information gathering capabilities. This could aid attackers in extracting cryptographic keys, credentials, or other sensitive information, potentially facilitating further compromise or lateral movement. The vulnerability does not affect system integrity or availability, so it does not directly enable code execution or denial of service. However, in environments where MediaTek chipsets are widely deployed—such as mobile devices, embedded systems, and IoT devices—this flaw could undermine data privacy and security assurances. Organizations relying on these chipsets should consider the risk of insider threats or malware that has already gained elevated privileges. Failure to patch could expose sensitive user or system data, impacting regulatory compliance and user trust.

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/March-2026 (opens in a new tab)

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Exploitation evidence

What to do

Affected software

Description

AI analysisMachine-generated, updated 30 Mar 2026, 19:40 UTC

WeaknessesCWE-125

Technical details

References

Community reviews

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