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AndroidOperating system · Google

CVE-2023-48406

MEDIUM · 6.7 CVSS v3.1 Published 2023-12-08
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
69/100
Remediation priority · Elevated
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
there is a possible permanent DoS or way for the modem to boot unverified firmware due to a logic error in the code. This could lead to local escalation of privilege with System execution privileges needed. User interaction is not needed for exploitation.

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 confidence

A logic error in modem firmware code allows an attacker with local system-level access to either cause a permanent denial of service or bypass firmware verification to boot unverified firmware, leading to local privilege escalation.

MitigationApply vendor-supplied firmware update to address the logic error; verify secure boot mechanisms function correctly post-update.

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
AndroidOperating 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
Local
Complexity
Low
Privileges
High
User interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:H/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 if device has a cellular modem
    Check device specifications or system information for presence of baseband/modem hardware (most Android smartphones have this)
    Affected if Device has a cellular modem component - if no modem exists, the vulnerability does not apply
  2. Verify secure boot status
    Check device bootloader security settings - on most Android devices this is accessible via 'fastboot oem debug' or checking bootloader status in recovery/bootloader mode. Look for 'secure boot' or 'verified boot' status indicators
    Affected if Secure boot is disabled or not properly enforcing firmware verification - the bypass only matters if secure boot is meant to be active but is being circumvented
  3. Check baseband/modem firmware version
    Retrieve modem firmware version via Android diagnostic tools, AT command interface (dial *#*#4636#*#* on some devices), or through Settings > About Phone > Baseband version
    Affected if Cannot determine version - if vendor has not published version information, assume affected since all versions are impacted according to the CVE data
  4. Confirm local system access controls
    Verify what local access vectors exist on the device - check ADB status (Settings > Developer Options > USB debugging), whether the device allows shell access, and privilege levels of local users
    Affected if Local system-level access is available to an untrusted actor - the vulnerability requires this access to exploit, so open local access increases risk
  5. Check for unexpected firmware or boot anomalies
    Review boot logs, verify boot chain integrity if possible, look for signs of unverified firmware loading or modem restarts in system logs
    Affected if Evidence of unverified firmware booting or modem stability issues - the vulnerability can cause permanent DoS or allow unverified firmware to load

If the device has a cellular modem and secure boot is meant to be enforced, the device is likely affected since all Android versions are impacted by this modem firmware logic error.

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 update to address the logic error; verify secure boot mechanisms function correctly post-update.

Fix this in Android Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation6.0 h
  • Implementation12.0 h
  • Testing10.0 h
  • Review / QA6.0 h
34.0 hours of engineering $5,940
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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-2023-48406 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