CVE-2023-21629
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 in Modem due to double free while parsing the PKCS15 sim files.
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 confidenceA double-free vulnerability exists in the modem component when parsing PKCS15 SIM files, leading to memory corruption. This occurs when memory allocated during SIM file parsing is freed and then freed again, potentially enabling memory corruption 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
- 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 modem chipset in your deviceCheck your device documentation, system logs, or use AT commands (e.g., AT+CGMM, AT+CGMI) to query the modem model and hardware identificationAffected if The modem model matches Qualcomm 315 5G, Apq8017, Apq8037, Aqt1000, Ar8035, C V2X 9150, Csra6620, or Csra6640
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Determine if PKCS15 SIM file parsing is in useReview SIM card configuration and check if PKCS15 applications or smart card features are enabled on the SIM. Inspect modem logs for PKCS15-related operations or errors.Affected if PKCS15 SIM file parsing functionality is actively used by the modem
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Check for SIM card type and profileQuery the modem for SIM card information using AT commands such as AT+CIMI (IMSI), AT+CCID (ICCID), or proprietary commands that reveal the SIM application suiteAffected if The SIM contains PKCS15-based applications or custom security domains that trigger PKCS15 parsing
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Monitor for modem crashes or memory corruption symptomsReview system logs, modem crash dumps, or watchdog reports for double-free or memory corruption errors occurring during SIM operationsAffected if Repeated modem crashes occur during SIM access or PKCS15 file parsing operations
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Verify the firmware version of the modem componentQuery the modem firmware version using AT commands (e.g., AT+CGMR, AT+GMR) or check the baseband firmware information in the device's about/system pagesAffected if The device uses any of the affected Qualcomm modem firmware versions and the vulnerable PKCS15 parsing feature is active
You are affected if your device contains one of the listed Qualcomm modem chipsets and PKCS15 SIM file parsing is enabled or in use, as all firmware versions of these modems contain the vulnerability.
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 vendor firmware updates for the modem component that address the double-free vulnerability in PKCS15 SIM file parsing. Until patched, monitor for unusual modem crashes or behavior.
- Consultation8.0 h
- Implementation16.0 h
- Testing12.0 h
- Review / QA8.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $12,352.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2023-21629 — 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-2023-21629 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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