Lr13Operating system · Mediatek

CVE-2023-32874

CRITICAL · 9.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2024-01-02
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
100/100
Remediation priority · Urgent
Remotely reachable No privileges 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
In Modem IMS Stack, there is a possible out of bounds write due to a missing bounds check. This could lead to remote code execution with no additional execution privileges needed. User interaction is not needed for exploitation. Patch ID: MOLY01161803; Issue ID: MOLY01161803 (MSV-893).

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

This vulnerability in the Modem IMS (IP Multimedia Subsystem) Stack contains an out-of-bounds write due to a missing bounds check. An attacker can exploit this memory corruption flaw to achieve remote code execution without requiring any user interaction or elevated privileges. The vulnerability affects the modem firmware layer, making it exploitable via network communications processed by the modem.

MitigationApply the vendor patch MOLY01161803 through firmware update from the device manufacturer. Since this is a modem firmware vulnerability, end users must obtain updated firmware from their device/OEM vendors.

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
Lr13Operating system
Affected:all versions
Nr15Operating system
Affected:all versions
Nr16Operating system
Affected:all versions
Nr17Operating 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
Network
Complexity
Low
Privileges
None
User interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/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 checks

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

  1. Identify Mediatek modem chipset model
    Check device specifications, modem firmware details, or use AT commands (e.g., AT+CGMM or AT+CGMR) to query the modem chipset identifier
    Affected if The chipset model is Lr13, Nr15, Nr16, or Nr17 (all versions of these families are affected)
  2. Verify modem firmware version
    Query the modem firmware version using AT commands such as AT+CGMR or through device diagnostic menus
    Affected if The device runs Mediatek modem firmware on an affected chipset family (any version since all versions are vulnerable)
  3. Confirm IMS stack is in use
    Check if the device uses VoLTE, VoNR, or other IMS-based services by examining modem configuration or network settings
    Affected if IMS functionality is enabled and the device uses one of the affected Mediatek modem chipsets
  4. Review network-facing modem interfaces
    Examine modem logs or network traffic handled by the modem to identify if IMS messages are processed
    Affected if The modem processes IMS-related network communications and operates on an affected Mediatek chipset

A device is affected if it contains a Mediatek modem chipset from the Lr13, Nr15, Nr16, or Nr17 family, regardless of firmware version, and utilizes IMS functionality for voice or multimedia services.

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

Apply the vendor patch MOLY01161803 through firmware update from the device manufacturer. Since this is a modem firmware vulnerability, end users must obtain updated firmware from their device/OEM vendors.

Fix this in Lr13 Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation8.0 h
  • Implementation16.0 h
  • Testing24.0 h
  • Review / QA8.0 h
56.0 hours of engineering $9,520
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Scan for this in your stack

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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-2023-32874 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