CVE-2022-33231
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 · uneditedMemory corruption due to double free in core while initializing the encryption key.
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 confidenceThis is a memory corruption vulnerability caused by a double free error in the core component during encryption key initialization. A double free occurs when memory is deallocated twice, leading to heap corruption which can be exploited for arbitrary code execution or denial of service.
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 dataall versionsall versionsall versionsall versionsall versionsall versionsall versionsall versionsCVSS 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 checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Identify the Qualcomm firmware productLocate the firmware version or product model string on the device. This is typically found in the device's system information, boot logs, or firmware metadata. Common locations: /proc/version, boot partition, or vendor-specific diagnostic interfaces.Affected if The product model matches any of these: Qualcomm 8998, Qualcomm 315 5g IoT Modem, Qualcomm Apq8009, Qualcomm Aqt1000, Qualcomm Ar8031, Qualcomm Ar8035, Qualcomm C V2x 9150, or Qualcomm Csra6620
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Confirm firmware versionRetrieve the installed firmware version string from the device. Consult the vendor documentation for the specific method used by your device (serial console, AT commands, firmware header, or management interface).Affected if All versions of the affected products are vulnerable, so any version number confirms exposure if the product model matches step 1
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Verify encryption key initialization is in useThe vulnerability occurs in the core component during encryption key initialization. Determine if the device performs any encryption operations or key management. This is typically active by default on devices with these modems.Affected if The device uses the modem/firmware for any encryption or secure communication operations, which is the normal operating mode for these components
If your device runs any of the listed Qualcomm firmware products (8998, 315 5g IoT Modem, Apq8009, Aqt1000, Ar8031, Ar8035, C V2x 9150, or Csra6620), you are affected since all versions contain the double free vulnerability in the encryption key initialization core component.
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 dataApply the vendor-supplied patch for this vulnerability as soon as possible, as double free bugs can be exploited to achieve code execution. Prioritize patching systems that handle encryption or sensitive key material.
- Consultation3.0 h
- Implementation4.0 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 $3,648.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2022-33231 — 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-2022-33231 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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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.
- 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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