# CVE-2022-20239: Privilege escalation in Android

> A flaw in Android's memory mapping allows userspace to map kernel memory as writable, enabling privilege escalation and code execution.

- **Severity:** Medium 4.2 (`CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:N/A:L`)
- **Exploited in the wild:** Not known
- **Login needed:** Any signed-in user
- **Attackable:** Over the internet
- **Victim action needed:** Not needed
- **Fix available:** Yes
- **Published:** 9 Aug 2022
- **Updated:** 20 Oct 2025
- **Also known as:** A-233972091, ASB-A-233972091, GHSA-px2h-r39c-38r8, U-1883877

## What is CVE-2022-20239?

CVE-2022-20239 is a medium-severity vulnerability in Google Android, published on 9 Aug 2022. Any signed-in user can exploit it over the network, with no action from the victim.

### Official description

remap_pfn_range' here may map out of size kernel memory (for example, may map the kernel area), and because the 'vma->vm_page_prot' can also be controlled by userspace, so userspace may map the kernel area to be writable, which is easy to be exploitedProduct: AndroidVersions: Android SoCAndroid ID: A-233972091

Weakness: CWE-610 (Externally Controlled Reference to a Resource in Another Sphere), CWE-269 (Improper Privilege Management)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2022-20239?

It affects 1 product.


Products: Google Android.

## How do I fix CVE-2022-20239?

Apply the vendor's patch.

## Is CVE-2022-20239 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2022-20239 in the wild and no public exploit code.

## Other vulnerabilities in Google Android

- [CVE-2026-58704](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-58704/): Google Pixel Improper Authorization (high 8.8, exploited in the wild)
- [CVE-2025-48543](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2025-48543/): Android Runtime Use-After-Free (high 8.8, exploited in the wild)
- [CVE-2023-35674](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2023-35674/): Android Framework Privilege Escalation (high 8.8, exploited in the wild)
- [CVE-2025-48595](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2025-48595/): Android Framework Integer Overflow (high 8.4, exploited in the wild)
- [CVE-2024-32896](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2024-32896/): Android Pixel Privilege Escalation (high 8.1, exploited in the wild)

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2022-20239 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2022-20239 is a medium-severity vulnerability in Google Android, published on 9 Aug 2022. Any signed-in user can exploit it over the network, with no action from the victim.
Exploitation: There is no known exploitation of CVE-2022-20239 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Affected product: Google Android. No package-level version data is available, so check the vendor advisory linked from the reference page.

Task:
1. Search the dependency manifests and lockfiles (for example package.json, package-lock.json, requirements.txt, poetry.lock, uv.lock, pom.xml, build.gradle, go.mod, Cargo.lock, Gemfile.lock) and any Dockerfiles for the affected packages, including transitive dependencies.
2. If an affected version is in use, upgrade it to the fixed version for its release line with the project's package manager, so the lockfile is regenerated. Prefer the smallest upgrade that fixes it.
3. If there is no fix, or the upgrade would break the build, do not guess: explain the risk and the safest workaround instead.
4. Run the tests and summarise what changed and why.
5. If nothing in the project is affected, say so and change nothing.

Reference: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2022-20239/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2022-20239/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2022-20239
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2022-20239
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2022-20239

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2022-20239/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.