CVE-2018-6311
Official description Straight from the sourceThe vendor's or NVD's own wording, published unedited. Authoritative, but often terse — it says what broke, rarely what to do.
NVD · uneditedOne can gain root access on the Foxconn femtocell FEMTO AP-FC4064-T version AP_GT_B38_5.8.3lb15-W47 LTE Build 15 via UART pins without any restrictions, which leads to full system compromise and disclosure of user communications.
Technical summary Written by usOur analysis, written from the advisory, the CVSS vector and the affected-version data. It adds context the advisory leaves out, and never invents facts that are not in the source.
dbcve analysis · moderate confidenceThe Foxconn FEMTO AP-FC4064-T femtocell exposes UART pins that provide unrestricted root access without any authentication, enabling an attacker with physical access to achieve full system compromise and intercept user communications.
Verify against the referenced sources before acting — the references below are authoritative for this CVE, this summary is not.
Affected products & versions What the vendor confirmedThe version ranges the vendor confirmed as vulnerable. If your version sits inside a range here, treat yourself as exposed until you have upgraded.
NVD · CPE data= ap_gt_b38_5.8.3lb15-w47_lteCVSS breakdown How the score is builtThe industry scoring standard. It rates how the flaw is reached, what it takes to exploit, and what an attacker gains — the score is derived from those, not the other way round.
From the vector- Attack vector
- Physical
- Complexity
- Low
- Privileges
- None
- User interaction
- None
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- High
- Integrity
- High
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.1/AV:P/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
Am I affected? How to checkSteps we derive from the advisory and the affected-version data, so you can decide whether this CVE reaches your setup. They are a guide, not a scan — your own configuration is the authority.
dbcve checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Identify the device modelPhysically inspect the device or check the product label/ markings for the model number Foxconn AP-FC4064-T or FEMTO AP-FC4064-TAffected if The device is a Foxconn AP-FC4064-T femtocell unit
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Check the installed firmware versionAccess the device's web interface or log into the admin console and locate the firmware version information, or extract and examine the firmware binaryAffected if The firmware version equals ap_gt_b38_5.8.3lb15-w47_lte exactly
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Inspect for exposed UART pinsOpen the device enclosure and visually examine the circuit board for exposed or accessible UART pin headers (typically 4-6 pins in a row, often labeled TX, RX, GND, VCC)Affected if UART pins are physically present and accessible on the circuit board without requiring dismantling or soldering
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Verify console authentication statusConnect to the UART interface using a serial adapter (baud rate commonly 115200 or 57600) and observe whether a login prompt appears immediately or if root access is granted without credentialsAffected if Connecting to UART provides direct root shell access without any password or authentication prompt
A user is affected if they have a Foxconn AP-FC4064-T femtocell running firmware version ap_gt_b38_5.8.3lb15-w47_lte with physically accessible UART pins that grant unauthenticated root access.
Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.
Remediation Closing itWhat it takes to close this. Where a vendor fix exists we point at it; where none exists we say so plainly, and can build one. Effort estimates are scoped from the advisory, not from your codebase.
From vendor dataImplement console authentication/bootloader password protection on the UART interface, and physically secure or disable unused UART pins to prevent unauthorized physical access.
- Consultation4.0 h
- Implementation8.0 h
- Testing4.0 h
- Review / QA2.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $5,120.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2018-6311 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.
References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.
Primary sourcesPractitioner notes
ContributedPeer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2018-6311 in production — separate from our analysis above.
The advisory tells you what broke. It rarely tells you what actually worked. If you’ve dealt with this one, that detail is what the next engineer is searching for.
- The version that genuinely resolved it — not the one the vendor claimed
- A config change or rule that shut the vector down
- A gotcha in the upgrade path that cost you an afternoon
No notes yet
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- Verified mitigations, workarounds, and config changes
- Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
- No weaponised exploit code, or anything meant to cause harm
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