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Exynos 9810 FirmwareOperating system · Samsung

CVE-2023-36481

HIGH · 7.5 CVSS v3.1 Published 2023-08-28
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
84/100
Remediation priority · High
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
An issue was discovered in Samsung Exynos Mobile Processor and Wearable Processor 9810, 9610, 9820, 980, 850, 1080, 2100, 2200, 1280, 1380, 1330, 9110, and W920. Improper handling of PPP length parameter inconsistency can cause an infinite loop.

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

A vulnerability in Samsung Exynos mobile and wearable processors allows an attacker to cause an infinite loop via improper handling of PPP (Point-to-Point Protocol) length parameter inconsistency. The flaw is in the baseband/processor firmware and can be exploited remotely without authentication, leading to device denial of service.

MitigationApply vendor-supplied firmware updates from Samsung for affected Exynos processors (9810, 9610, 9820, 980, 850, 1080, 2100, 2200, 1280, 1380, 1330, 9110, W920). Contact Samsung or device OEMs for patch availability.

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
Exynos 9810 FirmwareOperating system
Affected:all versions
Exynos 9610 FirmwareOperating system
Affected:all versions
Exynos 9820 FirmwareOperating system
Affected:all versions
Exynos 980 FirmwareOperating system
Affected:all versions
Exynos 850 FirmwareOperating system
Affected:all versions
Exynos 1080 FirmwareOperating system
Affected:all versions
Exynos 2100 FirmwareOperating system
Affected:all versions
Exynos 2200 FirmwareOperating 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
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 checks

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

  1. Identify the device processor model
    Check the device specifications or use system information tools (e.g., 'cat /proc/cpuinfo' on Android, or check 'Settings > About Phone > Processor' or 'Settings > Connections > Mobile Networks > Network Mode' to identify the chipset)
    Affected if The processor is any of these: Exynos 9810, 9610, 9820, 980, 850, 1080, 2100, or 2200
  2. Confirm the baseband firmware version
    On Android, dial *#1234# or go to 'Settings > About Phone > Software Information' to view baseband version, or use 'AT command' interface via terminal with 'AT+CGMR' (requires baseband terminal access)
    Affected if The baseband version cannot be determined or shows any version on an affected Exynos chip since all versions are vulnerable
  3. Verify cellular/baseband functionality is present
    Check if the device has cellular connectivity capability - look for SIM slot, mobile network settings, or cellular-related kernel modules ('ls /dev/tty*' for baseband AT interface, or check 'Settings > Network & Internet > SIM cards')
    Affected if The device uses the affected Exynos baseband processor for cellular communication (PPP is used in baseband protocol handling)
  4. Check for PPP-related network interfaces
    Examine network interfaces via 'ip link show' or 'ifconfig' - look for ppp0 interface which indicates active PPP usage, or check 'ls /sys/class/net/' for ppp entries
    Affected if A ppp0 or similar PPP interface exists, indicating the vulnerable PPP protocol handler in baseband firmware is in use

If the device contains any of the affected Exynos processors (9810, 9610, 9820, 980, 850, 1080, 2100, 2200) and uses baseband cellular functionality, the device is vulnerable to denial of service via malformed PPP packets.

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 vendor-supplied firmware updates from Samsung for affected Exynos processors (9810, 9610, 9820, 980, 850, 1080, 2100, 2200, 1280, 1380, 1330, 9110, W920). Contact Samsung or device OEMs for patch availability.

Fix this in Exynos 9810 Firmware Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation8.0 h
  • Implementation4.0 h
  • Testing12.0 h
  • Review / QA6.0 h
30.0 hours of engineering $5,200
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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-2023-36481 in production — separate from our analysis above.

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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