dbcve.org
Zenfone 3 Ultra FirmwareOperating system · Asus

CVE-2019-15413

HIGH · 7.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2019-11-14
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
80/100
Remediation priority · High
Zero-click

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 · unedited
The Asus ZenFone 3 Ultra Android device with a build fingerprint of asus/WW_Phone/ASUS_A001:7.0/NRD90M/14.1010.1804.75-20180612:user/release-keys contains a pre-installed app with a package name of com.asus.splendidcommandagent app (versionCode=1510200105, versionName=1.2.0.21_180605) that allows other pre-installed apps to perform command execution via an accessible app component. This capability can be accessed by any pre-installed app on the device which can obtain signatureOrSystem permissions that are required by other other pre-installed apps that exported their capabilities to other pre-installed app.

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 · high confidence

The Asus ZenFone 3 Ultra contains a pre-installed app (com.asus.splendidcommandagent) with an exported component that allows other pre-installed apps to execute commands. This requires signatureOrSystem permissions, which limits exploitation to other pre-installed system apps, but enables privilege escalation within the pre-installed app ecosystem.

MitigationThis is a device firmware vulnerability requiring an OEM security patch from Asus. Users cannot apply traditional mitigations; organizations should assess device replacement or accept residual risk until a vendor update is available.

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
Zenfone 3 Ultra FirmwareOperating system
Affected:all versions

CVSS 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
Local
Complexity
Low
Privileges
Low
User interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/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 checks

Work through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.

  1. Identify device model
    Go to Settings > About Phone and verify the model number is Asus ZenFone 3 Ultra (model numbers may include ZU680KL, ZU680KL_2, or similar)
    Affected if Device model is Asus ZenFone 3 Ultra
  2. Check for vulnerable app
    Run 'pm list packages | grep asus.splendidcommandagent' via ADB shell, or use a file manager to locate /data/app/ or /system/app/ for the app
    Affected if Package com.asus.splendidcommandagent exists on the device
  3. Verify exported component
    Extract the APK from the app and run 'aapt dump badging <apk>' to check for 'exported=true' on components, or run 'dumpsys package com.asus.splendidcommandagent' to list exported activities/services
    Affected if The app has exported components in its manifest
  4. Check signatureOrSystem permission
    Run 'dumpsys package com.asus.splendidcommandagent' and examine the <queries> or permission declarations for 'signatureOrSystem' protection level
    Affected if The exported component requires signatureOrSystem permission
  5. Identify other pre-installed apps
    List all pre-installed apps using 'pm list packages -s' and check which ones have signatureOrSystem permissions via 'dumpsys package <package>'
    Affected if Other pre-installed apps exist with signatureOrSystem permissions that could invoke the vulnerable component

If you are using an Asus ZenFone 3 Ultra device with the com.asus.splendidcommandagent app present and its exported component is accessible to other signatureOrSystem apps, your device is affected by this vulnerability.

Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.

Check your environment

Paste your version and any relevant configuration and it will be compared against the affected criteria above. Do not include secrets or credentials.

AI-assisted, checked against the advisory. Informational, not a guarantee.

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 data
Mitigation available No clean upgrade yet — mitigate in the meantime
Mitigation

This is a device firmware vulnerability requiring an OEM security patch from Asus. Users cannot apply traditional mitigations; organizations should assess device replacement or accept residual risk until a vendor update is available.

Fix this in Zenfone 3 Ultra Firmware Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
3.0 hours of engineering $750
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References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.

Primary sources

Practitioner notes

Contributed

Peer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2019-15413 in production — separate from our analysis above.

No notes yet

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What this is

A place for practitioners to share what actually worked: a mitigation you’ve tested, a configuration change, a version- or environment-specific caveat, or a link to a verified patch. The most useful notes rise to the top as peers upvote them, so the signal stays high.

What belongs here
  • 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
  • No spam, self-promotion, credentials, or personal data