CVE-2023-21644
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 RIL due to Integer Overflow while triggering qcril_uim_request_apdu request.
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 confidenceAn integer overflow vulnerability in the RIL (Radio Interface Layer) component allows memory corruption when processing the qcril_uim_request_apdu request. The overflow occurs when handling the APDU request, potentially leading to heap-based memory corruption and arbitrary code execution.
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 device radio/firmware chipsetCheck the device documentation, system information, or run 'getprop' on Android devices to identify the Qualcomm firmware model (e.g., Aqt1000, Qca6390, Qca6391, Qca6420, Qca6426, Qca6430, Qca6436, Qca6574a)Affected if The firmware model matches any of the affected models listed in the CVE (Aqt1000, Qca6390, Qca6391, Qca6420, Qca6426, Qca6430, Qca6436, Qca6574a)
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Verify RIL component is activeOn Android, check if the Radio Interface Layer service is running via 'getprop' or by reviewing system services. The RIL handles communication between the Android framework and the radio firmwareAffected if The RIL (Radio Interface Layer) component is active and handling radio communications on the device
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Confirm SIM/USIM card functionality is enabledCheck if the device has an active SIM or USIM card slot and that card communication is enabled. This can be verified by checking if the device shows carrier signal and SIM status in system settings or via 'getprop' commands related to sim.statusAffected if A SIM or USIM card is present and the device is using the RIL to communicate with it (the qcril_uim_request_apdu request is used for SIM card access)
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Check if APDU request handling is accessibleReview system logs or debug information for any qcril_uim_request_apdu calls. This request is part of the RIL-UIM interface used for sending APDU commands to SIM/USIM cards. The vulnerability triggers when this request is processedAffected if The device processes qcril_uim_request_apdu requests, which occurs when any application or system service interacts with the SIM card (such as for authentication, OTA updates, or carrier provisioning)
If the device uses any of the affected Qualcomm firmware models (Aqt1000, Qca6390, Qca6391, Qca6420, Qca6426, Qca6430, Qca6436, Qca6574a) and has an active SIM/USIM card utilizing the RIL component for APDU communication, the environment is affected by this 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-supplied firmware patches for CVE-2023-21644; on affected Android devices, obtain and install the latest security update from the device manufacturer or carrier.
- Consultation8.0 h
- Implementation24.0 h
- Testing16.0 h
- Review / QA8.0 h
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Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2023-21644 — 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-2023-21644 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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