CVE-2023-33099
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 · uneditedTransient DOS while processing SMS container of non-standard size received in DL NAS transport in NR.
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 NR (New Radio) devices where processing an SMS container of non-standard size received in Downlink Non-Access Stratum (DL NAS) transport causes a transient DOS condition. The vulnerability stems from insufficient bounds checking on SMS container size handling in the NAS layer.
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
- 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 Qualcomm firmware components presentExamine system firmware/images or device specifications to determine if any of the following are present: Qualcomm 315 5G IoT Modem, Qualcomm Ar8035, Qualcomm Fastconnect 6200/6700/6800/6900/7800, or Qualcomm Qca6174a. This may require checking via at commands, firmware dumps, or device documentation.Affected if Any of the listed Qualcomm firmware components are present in the system
-
Verify 5G NR NAS functionality is enabledCheck if the device has 5G NR capability active and if Downlink NAS transport messages are being processed. This may involve monitoring NAS layer communication logs or checking modem status via vendor-specific diagnostic interfaces.Affected if 5G NR NAS layer is active and processing DL NAS transport messages including SMS containers
-
Confirm SMS over NAS is operationalDetermine if SMS messaging is being handled through the NAS layer (as opposed to IP-based SMS). This is typically the case for 5G NR devices using NAS transport for SMS delivery.Affected if SMS messages are being delivered via DL NAS transport mechanism
-
Review for transient service disruptionsExamine system logs, modem logs, or network service records for unexplained brief outages, crashes, or resets correlated with SMS receipt. Look for error codes related to NAS message processing or SMS container handling.Affected if Service disruptions occur following SMS reception that align with NAS layer processing timestamps
-
Check for abnormal NAS layer error logsSearch modem or baseband logs for errors related to SMS container parsing, bounds checking failures, or NAS transport message handling anomalies.Affected if Errors involving SMS container size or NAS transport message processing appear in logs
If the system contains any of the affected Qualcomm firmware components (315 5G IoT Modem, Ar8035, Fastconnect series, Qca6174a) and processes SMS via the 5G NR NAS layer, the environment is potentially 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-specific patches for 5G NR baseband/processor firmware that address SMS container size validation in the DL NAS transport handling. Until patch availability, monitor for service disruptions potentially indicating exploitation.
- Consultation4.0 h
- Implementation8.0 h
- Testing12.0 h
- Review / QA4.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $7,616.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2023-33099 — 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-2023-33099 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