CVE-2026-20542

Analyzed Analyzed - Analysis Complete

Memory Corruption in Apusys Due to Use After Free

Publication date: 2026-10-05

Last updated on: 2026-10-09

Assigner: MediaTek, Inc.

Description

In apusys, 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: ALPS11076799; Issue ID: MSV-8143.

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Meta Information

Published

2026-10-05

Last Modified

2026-10-09

Generated

2026-11-08

AI Q&A

2026-10-05

EPSS Evaluated

2026-11-07

NVD

CVE-2026-20542

EUVD

EUVD-2026-92181

Affected Vendors & Products

Vendor	Product	Version / Range
mediatek	mt2718_firmware	*
mediatek	mt6878_firmware	*
mediatek	mt6897_firmware	*
mediatek	mt6899_firmware	*
mediatek	mt6989_firmware	*
mediatek	mt6991_firmware	*
mediatek	mt8171_firmware	*
mediatek	mt8188_firmware	*
mediatek	mt8189_firmware	*
mediatek	mt8196_firmware	*
mediatek	mt8370_firmware	*
mediatek	mt8371_firmware	*
mediatek	mt8390_firmware	*
mediatek	mt8391_firmware	*
mediatek	mt8395_firmware	*
mediatek	mt8678_firmware	*
mediatek	mt8792_firmware	*
mediatek	mt8793_firmware	*
mediatek	mt8796_firmware	*

Helpful Resources

Exploitability

CWE

KEV

CWE ID	Description
CWE-416	The product reuses or references memory after it has been freed. At some point afterward, the memory may be allocated again and saved in another pointer, while the original pointer references a location somewhere within the new allocation. Any operations using the original pointer are no longer valid because the memory "belongs" to the code that operates on the new pointer.

Attack-Flow Graph

Executive Summary

This vulnerability is a use-after-free issue in apusys, which can lead to memory corruption. It allows local privilege escalation if an attacker already has System privilege access. Exploitation does not require user interaction.

Detection Guidance

Detection of CVE-2026-20542 requires analyzing the apusys component for use-after-free conditions. Check for crashes or memory corruption logs in system logs. Review kernel logs for memory access violations. Use tools like AddressSanitizer (ASan) or Valgrind to monitor memory operations in apusys. Examine patch ALPS11076799 or Issue MSV-8143 for specific indicators.

Impact Analysis

If exploited, this vulnerability could allow an attacker with System privilege to escalate their access further, potentially gaining control over the affected system. This could lead to unauthorized data access or system manipulation.

Compliance Impact

This vulnerability does not directly affect compliance with GDPR, HIPAA, or similar standards as it involves local privilege escalation in a specific system component (apusys) and requires prior System privilege access. Compliance impacts would depend on system-specific configurations and mitigations rather than the vulnerability itself.

Mitigation Strategies

Apply the patch identified as ALPS11076799 to address the use-after-free issue in apusys. Ensure the System privilege is not granted to untrusted users to limit potential exploitation.

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