Executive brief
MediaTek Audio HAL is a low-level software component that manages audio hardware on mobile devices, smart TVs, and IoT appliances. An attacker who already has system-level privileges can exploit improper input validation in this component to escalate their privileges further, potentially gaining unauthorized control over the device's audio subsystem and related functionality. This vulnerability requires the attacker to have already compromised the system to the highest privilege level, limiting immediate risk but posing a threat if initial compromise occurs.
Technical details
The vulnerability is a privilege escalation flaw in the Audio HAL subsystem caused by improper input validation (CWE-20 or similar). It allows local escalation of privilege by an attacker who already possesses System-level privileges. The attack vector is local and does not require user interaction. An attacker can exploit this to gain additional privileges or execute arbitrary code within the audio hardware abstraction layer. A patch is available (ALPS11087540), and vendors have been notified at least two months prior to publication.
Affected products
- MediaTek Audio HAL See affected chipsets: MT2716, MT6835, MT6858, MT6878, MT6881, MT6897, MT6899, MT6982VB, MT6986, MT6988, MT6991, MT6993, MT8668, MT8676, MT8678, MT8755, MT8775, MT8792, MT8793, MT8863, MT8873, MT8883 and potentially others
Timeline
- 2026-09-07: disclosed: CVE-2026-20512 publicly disclosed in MediaTek September 2026 Security Bulletin
- 2026-07: patched: Device OEMs notified at least two months before publication (patch available, ID: ALPS11087540)