A massive Android security vulnerability has triggered global concern after researchers revealed that hackers could unlock certain smartphones in under 60 seconds. The flaw, tracked as CVE-2026-20435, affects Android devices powered by a wide range of MediaTek chipsets and could potentially expose sensitive user data from as many as 875 million smartphones worldwide.
Cybersecurity researchers from Ledger’s Donjon Hacker Lab discovered the vulnerability during an extensive security analysis. Their findings showed that attackers could bypass Android’s security protections and extract encrypted data from affected devices before the operating system even finishes loading.
This means that if a hacker gains physical access to a vulnerable Android phone, they may be able to unlock the device and retrieve personal data in less than a minute.
How the 60-second Android hack works
The attack targets a weakness in the secure boot chain used in MediaTek processors. The secure boot process normally ensures that only trusted firmware and operating system components can run when a phone starts.
However, researchers discovered that attackers could exploit the device’s preloader component — a low-level part of the bootloader responsible for hardware initialization before Android loads.
By connecting a vulnerable phone to a computer via a USB cable, an attacker can extract the root cryptographic keys protecting Android’s full-disk encryption.
Once those keys are obtained, the attacker can:
- Decrypt the device’s storage
- Recover or brute-force the device PIN
- Access messages, photos, and files
- Extract data from apps
- Recover cryptocurrency wallet seed phrases
Researchers demonstrated that the entire process could take less than 60 seconds, even while the phone is locked.
Up to 1 in 4 Android phones could be affected
MediaTek processors power a significant portion of the Android smartphone ecosystem, especially in mid-range and budget devices. Security researchers estimate that roughly 25% of Android smartphones globally may contain one of the affected chips.
This translates to around 875 million devices potentially exposed.
Many popular brands rely on MediaTek processors, including phones from Xiaomi, Oppo, Vivo, Realme, and other manufacturers.
List of MediaTek chipsets affected
MediaTek confirmed that multiple chipset families may be impacted by the vulnerability. Some of the affected processors include:
- MT6739
- MT6761
- MT6765
- MT6768
- MT6781
- MT6789
- MT6813
- MT6833
- MT6853
- MT6855
- MT6877
- MT6878
- MT6879
- MT6880
- MT6885
- MT6886
- MT6890
- MT6893
- MT6895
- MT6897
- MT6983
- MT6985
- MT6989
- MT6990
- MT6993
Other processors from the MT8100 and MT8700 chipset series have also been listed as vulnerable in security bulletins.
Other systems affected by the vulnerability
According to security analysis from SentinelOne, the vulnerability is not limited strictly to Android phones. Certain embedded platforms using MediaTek processors may also be impacted.
These include:
- Linux Foundation Yocto 4.0
- RDKCentral RDK-B 2022Q3 and 2024Q1
- OpenWrt 21.02.0 and 23.05.0
- Zephyr Project Zephyr 3.7.0
This highlights how deeply integrated MediaTek chipsets are across multiple technology ecosystems.
Which phones may be vulnerable
The proof-of-concept attack demonstrated by researchers was conducted on the Nothing CMF Phone 1, but many other Android devices may use the same processors.
Most affected phones are expected to be budget and mid-range models where MediaTek chips are commonly used.
If you want to check whether your device might be affected, you can search your smartphone model on GSMArena to see which processor it uses.
MediaTek has already released a security patch
MediaTek has acknowledged the vulnerability and issued a firmware fix to smartphone manufacturers earlier this year. However, Android’s fragmented ecosystem means that users may not receive updates immediately.
Device makers must first integrate the fix into their own firmware updates before pushing them to users. Depending on the manufacturer and model, this process could take weeks or months.
For detailed security advisories, users can also review MediaTek’s official product security bulletin.
How Android users can protect their phones
Although the vulnerability is serious, there are several steps users can take to protect themselves.
1. Install the latest security updates.
Make sure your Android phone is running the newest available firmware update from your manufacturer.
2. Keep physical control of your device.
The attack requires physical access, meaning a hacker must have the phone in hand to exploit the flaw.
3. Avoid storing sensitive crypto keys on phones.
Researchers warned that cryptocurrency wallet seed phrases stored on mobile devices could be extracted using this exploit.
4. Upgrade unsupported devices.
If your smartphone no longer receives security updates, upgrading to a newer device with active support may be the safest option.
The bigger lesson for smartphone security
This discovery highlights an uncomfortable reality about modern smartphones: even advanced security features such as lock screens and encryption can sometimes fail if the underlying hardware contains vulnerabilities.
As phones increasingly store financial data, personal communications, identity documents, and cryptocurrency wallets, security weaknesses at the chip level can have far-reaching consequences.
While the MediaTek vulnerability has now been patched, the incident serves as a reminder that keeping devices updated and maintaining physical security remain essential parts of protecting personal data in today’s mobile world.
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