CVE-2026-20538: Medium severity MediaTek Modem vulnerability

Published Oct 5, 2026

Updated

In Modem, there is a possible out of bounds read due to a missing permission check. This could lead to remote denial of service, if a UE has connected to a rogue base station controlled by the attacker, with no additional execution privileges needed. User interaction is not needed for exploitation. Patch ID: MOLY01774038; Issue ID: MSV-8914.

Affected Software

1 affected component

MediaTek Modem

Remediation

Recommended actions to resolve this vulnerability, in priority order.

Upgrade
Upgrade Modem to a version that resolves this vulnerability.
Patch MOLY01774038

Event History

Oct 5, 2026

CVE Published

via MITRE·01:40 AM

Data Sourced

via MITRE·01:40 AM

DescriptionWeakness

Data Sourced

via NVD·02:16 AM

DescriptionSeverityWeakness

Frequently Asked Questions

What conditions must be met for exploitation?

A UE must connect to an attacker-controlled rogue base station. No additional execution privileges or user interaction are required.

What is the expected impact?

Successful exploitation can cause a remote denial of service through an out-of-bounds read in the modem.

How can I identify the vendor fix?

MediaTek identifies the fix as Patch ID MOLY01774038 and tracks the issue as MSV-8914.