Cyber Resilience

CVE-2023-32844

Mediatek Nr15

Published
04 December 2023
Modified
21 November 2024
Patch / advisory
CVSS Score v3.1 7.5
Click a component to see what it means
Raw vectorCVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H
EPSS Score 0.014 69th percentile
Risk Priority 64 floored blend · peak EPSS

Summary

CVE-2023-32844 is a high-severity Reachable Assertion (CWE-617) vulnerability in Mediatek Nr15. Its CVSS base score is 7.5 (High).

Operationally, exploitation aligns with the MITRE ATT&CK technique Application or System Exploitation (T1499.004); ranked in the top 31% of CVEs by exploit likelihood; it is not currently listed in the CISA KEV catalog.

Deeper analysis AI-assisted summary

Synthesised by an AI model from the NVD description and linked references — a reading aid, not an authoritative source.

In 5G Modem components, CVE-2023-32844 is a reachable assertion flaw (CWE-617) stemming from improper error handling of malformed RRC messages. The issue affects MediaTek modem firmware and can trigger an immediate system crash, producing a remote denial of service. The vulnerability carries a CVSS 3.1 base score of 7.5 with network attack vector, low complexity, and no privileges or user interaction required.

An unauthenticated attacker with network access to a vulnerable device can transmit specially crafted RRC messages that the modem fails to handle gracefully, resulting in loss of availability. No additional execution rights are needed, and the attack can be carried out remotely without user involvement.

MediaTek’s December 2023 security bulletin lists the issue under Issue ID MOLY01130183 (MSV-850) and supplies the corresponding patch identifier MOLY01128524 for affected modem builds.

EPSS for the CVE remains flat at 0.0539 with no material increase after disclosure.

EU & UK References

Vulnerability Data

In 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.…

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Patch ID: MOLY01128524; Issue ID: MOLY01130183 (MSV-850).

CWE(s)

Related Threats

MITRE ATT&CK Enterprise Techniques

T1499.004 Application or System Exploitation Impact
Adversaries may exploit software vulnerabilities that can cause an application or system to crash and deny availability to users.
T1499 Endpoint Denial of Service Impact
Adversaries may perform Endpoint Denial of Service (DoS) attacks to degrade or block the availability of services to users.
Derived from this CVE’s CWE(s) via the direct CWE→ATT&CK cross-walk.

CVEs Like This One

CVE-2023-32841Same product: Mediatek Mt2735
CVE-2023-32843Same product: Mediatek Mt2735
CVE-2023-32846Same product: Mediatek Mt2735
CVE-2023-32842Same product: Mediatek Mt2735
CVE-2023-32845Same product: Mediatek Mt2735
CVE-2025-20752Same product: Mediatek Mt2735
CVE-2026-20405Same product: Mediatek Mt2735
CVE-2026-20422Same product: Mediatek Mt2735
CVE-2025-20760Same product: Mediatek Mt2735
CVE-2024-20094Same product: Mediatek Mt2735

Affected Assets

mediatek
nr15
all versions
mediatek
nr16
all versions
mediatek
nr17
all versions

Mitigating Controls

Mitigating Controls (NIST CSF 2.0) AI

Derived directly from the weakness types (CWEs) cited in the NVD entry via our AI-authored CWE→CSF cross-walk (authority under review) — links open the control.

PR.PS-06 mostly match
prevents

Secure SDLC practices directly prevent unsafe assertions from being coded in reachable paths.

DE.CM-09 partial match
prevents

Runtime monitoring of software can detect assertion-triggered crashes as adverse events.

ID.RA-01 partial match
prevents

Vulnerability identification processes can discover and record reachable-assertion flaws before deployment.

Mitigating Controls (ISO/IEC 27001:2022 Annex A) AI

Derived directly from the weakness types (CWEs) cited in the NVD entry via our AI-authored CWE→ISO cross-walk (authority under review) — links open the control.

finds

Security testing in development can detect reachable assertions before release, reducing the likelihood of exploitation.

prevents

Secure development lifecycle mandates defensive coding and input validation that prevent reachable assertions from being triggered by untrusted data.

prevents

Application security requirements can specify that assertions must not be reachable from attacker-controlled inputs.

prevents

Secure architecture principles discourage the use of assertions for runtime error handling that an attacker could exploit.

prevents

Secure coding standards explicitly ban the use of assert() or equivalent statements that can be triggered by external input.

References