CVE-2023-32841
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 · uneditedIn 5G Modem, there is a possible system crash due to improper error handling. This could lead to remote denial of service when receiving malformed RRC messages, with no additional execution privileges needed. User interaction is not needed for exploitation. Patch ID: MOLY01128524; Issue ID: MOLY01128524 (MSV-846).
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 denial of service vulnerability exists in 5G modem firmware where improper error handling when processing malformed RRC (Radio Resource Control) messages causes a system crash. An attacker can exploit this remotely by sending specially crafted malformed RRC messages, requiring no user interaction or elevated privileges.
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 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
- Network
- Complexity
- Low
- Privileges
- None
- User interaction
- None
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- None
- Integrity
- None
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/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.
-
Identify Mediatek 5G modem hardware in the environmentReview device specifications, modem hardware documentation, or use AT commands (e.g., AT+CGMM or AT+CGMI) to query the modem model. Mediatek 5G modems are typically found in IoT devices, routers, and mobile hotspots.Affected if The device contains a Mediatek Nr15, Nr16, or Nr17 5G modem module.
-
Determine the firmware version of the Mediatek modemQuery the modem firmware version using vendor-specific AT commands such as AT+CGMR, ATI, or AT+EGMR. Consult the device or modem vendor documentation for the exact command supported.Affected if The modem firmware version cannot be determined or is any version of Mediatek Nr15, Nr16, or Nr17 (all versions are affected per vendor advisory).
-
Verify the modem RRC (Radio Resource Control) functionality is activeCheck device or network configuration settings for 5G RRC connection handling. RRC is a core 5G protocol layer and is typically enabled by default on active 5G modems.Affected if The 5G modem is powered on and connected to a 5G network, meaning RRC message processing is active and the vulnerability is reachable.
-
Correlate device inventory with vendor advisory scopeCross-reference the identified modem model and firmware version against the Mediatek security advisory for CVE-2023-32841. Confirm whether the device OEM has applied the patch (MOLY01128524).Affected if The device uses unpatched Mediatek Nr15, Nr16, or Nr17 firmware and the device OEM has not applied the vendor-provided update.
A user is affected if their device or network equipment contains any Mediatek Nr15, Nr16, or Nr17 5G modem firmware that has not been updated with the MOLY01128524 patch.
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 patch MOLY01128524 to update the affected 5G modem firmware. Organizations should coordinate with their device/OEM vendors to obtain and deploy the patched firmware version.
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation4.0 h
- Testing3.0 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 $3,088.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2023-32841 — 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-2023-32841 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
Be the first to add a field note for this CVE — a mitigation you’ve verified, a version caveat, or a link to a working fix. Sign in above to contribute.
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
- No spam, self-promotion, credentials, or personal data