VulnerabilityPublished 2 Mar 2026Updated 30 Mar 2026

CVE-2026-20435: MediaTek chipset · Insufficiently Protected Credentials

Affects MediaTek chipsetSource CVE Database V5

Not known to be exploited · CVSS 4.6 Medium.

Data as of 26 Oct 2026, 17:16 UTC

CVSS 3.1 base score

4.6Medium

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

EPSS: 0.1% chance of exploitation in 30 days – higher than 1% of CVEsExploit Prediction Scoring System: the likelihood attackers will use this flaw soon.

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

Attack Vector: Physical
Attack Complexity: Low
Privileges Required: None
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: Physical: The attack requires the attacker to physically touch or manipulate the vulnerable component. Physical interaction may be brief or persistent.
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: 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
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.MediaTek chipset	Affected MT2737 – MT8793 35 affected builds	Fixed in–

AI-suggested

To mitigate CVE-2026-20435, organizations and users should apply firmware updates provided by device manufacturers or MediaTek as soon as patches become available (referencing patch ID ALPS10607099). Until patches are deployed, enforcing strict physical security controls to prevent unauthorized access to devices is critical, including secure storage, access logging, and tamper-evident measures. Device manufacturers should review and harden preloader code to ensure sensitive identifiers are protected by appropriate access controls and encryption. Additionally, organizations should consider implementing device identity verification mechanisms that do not solely rely on hardware identifiers vulnerable to extraction. For high-risk environments, deploying endpoint detection and response (EDR) solutions capable of detecting physical tampering attempts may provide additional protection. Regular security audits and user awareness training about the risks of physical device access can further reduce exploitation likelihood.

Description

In preloader, there is a possible read of device unique identifiers due to a logic error. This could lead to local information disclosure, if an attacker has physical access to the device, with no additional execution privileges needed. User interaction is not needed for exploitation. Patch ID: ALPS10607099; Issue ID: MSV-6118.

Impact

The primary impact of CVE-2026-20435 is the unauthorized disclosure of sensitive device unique identifiers, which can compromise user privacy and device security. Attackers with physical access can extract identifiers used for device authentication, tracking, or cloning, potentially enabling further attacks such as SIM swapping, identity theft, or bypassing security controls tied to device identity. While the vulnerability does not allow code execution or system modification, the confidentiality breach can facilitate targeted attacks against individuals or organizations. For enterprises deploying devices with affected MediaTek chipsets, this could lead to exposure of sensitive operational devices or user data. The lack of requirement for user interaction or elevated privileges means that physical access alone suffices for exploitation, increasing risk in environments with less stringent physical security. However, the impact is limited to confidentiality, with no direct effect on device integrity or availability.

CWE-522Insufficiently Protected Credentials (opens in a new tab)
Class weaknessOWASP Top 10 A06:2025: Insecure Design (opens in a new tab)
The product transmits or stores authentication credentials, but it uses an insecure method that is susceptible to unauthorized interception and/or retrieval.
Architecture and Design
Use an appropriate security mechanism to protect the credentials.
Architecture and Design
Make appropriate use of cryptography to protect the credentials.
Implementation
Use industry standards to protect the credentials (e.g. LDAP, keystore, etc.).
OWASP Cheat Sheets
Secure Design Principles (opens in a new tab)
OWASP ASVS 4.0.3
V2.10.3 (opens in a new tab)
V2.8.5 (opens in a new tab)
V2.8.4 (opens in a new tab)
Attack patterns
Session Sidejacking (opens in a new tab)
Signature Spoofing by Key Theft (opens in a new tab)
Password Recovery Exploitation (opens in a new tab)
Kerberoasting (opens in a new tab)
Modify Existing Service (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)

Community reviews

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Exploitation evidence

What to do

Affected software

Description

AI analysisMachine-generated, updated 30 Mar 2026, 19:41 UTC

WeaknessesCWE-522

Technical details

References

Community reviews

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