# CVE-2026-20537: Use after free in MediaTek chipset

> A use-after-free vulnerability in MediaTek chipset firmware allows local privilege escalation to System level without user interaction.

- **Severity:** Medium 6.7 (`CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H`)
- **Exploited in the wild:** Not known
- **Login needed:** An administrator
- **Attackable:** Local or same network only
- **Victim action needed:** Not needed
- **Fix available:** No
- **Published:** 5 Oct 2026
- **Updated:** 6 Oct 2026
- **Also known as:** GHSA-wxg2-c3w6-g8xw

## What is CVE-2026-20537?

CVE-2026-20537 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: ALPS11185225; Issue ID: MSV-9024.

Weakness: CWE-416 (Use After Free)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2026-20537?

It affects 11 products.


Products: Mediatek Mt6878 Firmware, Mediatek Mt6881 Firmware, Mediatek Mt6899 Firmware, Mediatek Mt6989 Firmware, Mediatek Mt6991 Firmware, Mediatek Mt6993 Firmware, Mediatek Mt8188 Firmware, Mediatek Mt8189 Firmware, Mediatek Mt8668 Firmware, Mediatek Mt8781 Firmware, Mediatek Mt8910 Firmware.

## How do I fix CVE-2026-20537?

No fix has been published for CVE-2026-20537 yet. Limit exposure of the affected software until one is available.

## Is CVE-2026-20537 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2026-20537 in the wild and no public exploit code.

## Other vulnerabilities in MediaTek, Inc. MediaTek chipset

- [CVE-2026-20535](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-20535/): Missing authorization in MediaTek chipset (medium 6.7)
- [CVE-2026-20536](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-20536/): Use after free in MediaTek chipset (medium 6.7)

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2026-20537 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2026-20537 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.
Exploitation: There is no known exploitation of CVE-2026-20537 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Affected product: MediaTek, Inc. MediaTek chipset. 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-2026-20537/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-20537/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2026-20537
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-20537
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2026-20537

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-20537/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.