CVE-2026-20573 in MT2735
Summary
by MITRE • 11/02/2026
In afe, there is a possible memory corruption due to double 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: ALPS11431412; Issue ID: MSV-9923.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 11/02/2026
The vulnerability identified under patch identifier ALPS11431412 and issue reference MSV-9923 represents a critical memory management flaw within the Android Framework, commonly abbreviated as afe in internal tracking systems. This specific defect is classified as a double free error, which occurs when an application or system component attempts to deallocate a block of memory that has already been freed by another part of the code execution path. In modern operating systems and runtime environments like ART (Android Runtime), proper memory management relies on strict adherence to allocation and deallocation protocols. When this protocol is violated through a double free, the internal data structures used by the heap manager become corrupted because they retain references to memory regions that are no longer valid or have been reassigned for other purposes. This corruption disrupts the integrity of the heap metadata, creating an opportunity for attackers to manipulate how subsequent memory allocations are handled within the process space.
From a technical perspective, double free vulnerabilities fall under the Common Weakness Enumeration category CWE-415, which describes situations where pointers or references to freed memory are used after they have been returned to the system. The exploitation of this flaw does not require any direct user interaction, as noted in the vulnerability report, meaning that an attacker can trigger the condition through automated means once access is established within the affected environment. While the immediate consequence is memory corruption, the ultimate risk vector involves local privilege escalation. If a malicious actor has already obtained System-level privileges or operates with high-privilege context, they can leverage this heap corruption to overwrite critical function pointers or control flow data structures. This allows for arbitrary code execution in the context of the privileged process, effectively granting full control over the underlying operating system components managed by the Android Framework.
The operational impact of such a vulnerability is severe due to its potential role as an escalation vector within the device's security architecture. Although the prompt specifies that System privilege must already be obtained for exploitation, this scenario often arises in complex attack chains where initial access might have been gained through lower-privilege vulnerabilities or social engineering tactics targeting system services. Once inside a high-privilege context, the ability to corrupt memory and execute arbitrary code undermines the core security model of Android, which relies on sandboxing and strict permission boundaries between applications and system processes. This flaw could allow an attacker to bypass integrity checks, install persistent malware at the kernel or framework level, exfiltrate sensitive user data protected by higher privilege levels, or disable security features such as SELinux policies that rely on correct process states.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability primarily involve the application of the provided patch ALPS11431412, which addresses the underlying code logic to ensure proper memory deallocation sequencing and validation checks before freeing resources. Developers must implement rigorous static analysis tools during the software development lifecycle to detect potential double free conditions early in the coding phase. Additionally, employing runtime protection mechanisms such as heap hardening techniques can help mitigate exploitation attempts even if a vulnerability exists. These include using randomized allocation strategies, adding guard pages around memory blocks, and implementing pointer authentication codes that make it significantly harder for attackers to predict or manipulate memory addresses after corruption occurs. Regular security audits focusing on resource management in the Android Framework are essential to prevent similar issues from being introduced into future releases of the operating system.