CVE-2026-20536 Use after free in MediaTek chipset

Medium 6.7 Published 5 Oct 2026 Updated 6 Oct 2026

A use-after-free vulnerability in MediaTek chipset firmware allows local privilege escalation for attackers with System privileges.

Exploited in the wild: Not known
Login needed: An administrator
Attackable: Local or same network only
Victim action needed: Not needed
Fix: None listed

What is CVE-2026-20536?

CVE-2026-20536 is a medium-severity use after free vulnerability in MediaTek, Inc. MediaTek chipset, published on 5 Oct 2026. It can only be exploited from the same machine or local network, with no action from the victim.

Official description

In aidl, there is a possible memory corruption 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: ALPS11242428; Issue ID: MSV-9038.

Weakness: CWE-416

Which versions are affected by CVE-2026-20536?

It affects 13 products.

Products include Mediatek Mt6878 Firmware, Mediatek Mt6881 Firmware, Mediatek Mt6899 Firmware, Mediatek Mt6989 Firmware, Mediatek Mt6991 Firmware, Mediatek Mt6993 Firmware and 7 more.

How do I fix CVE-2026-20536?

No fix has been published for CVE-2026-20536 yet. Limit exposure of the affected software until one is available.

Upgrade to the fixed version. These bugs are found with fuzzing and sanitisers and avoided by memory-safe languages. More about Use after free.

Is CVE-2026-20536 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2026-20536 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Sources

Also known as GHSA-pvjw-p28v-r2c2.