CVE-2023-33040

Q: What is the severity of CVE-2023-33040?

CVE-2023-33040 has a CVSS score of 7.5 (HIGH). This vulnerability allows a remote attacker to cause a denial-of-service (DoS) condition in Qualcomm's Data Modem during DTLS handshake processing. It affects devices using Qualcomm chipsets with vulnerable modem firmware. The attack can temporarily disrupt cellular data connectivity on affected devices.

7.5 HIGH

Denial of Service

📋 TL;DR

This vulnerability allows a remote attacker to cause a denial-of-service (DoS) condition in Qualcomm's Data Modem during DTLS handshake processing. It affects devices using Qualcomm chipsets with vulnerable modem firmware. The attack can temporarily disrupt cellular data connectivity on affected devices.

💻 Affected Systems

Products:

Qualcomm Snapdragon Auto, Snapdragon Compute, Snapdragon Connectivity, Snapdragon Consumer IOT, Snapdragon Industrial IOT, Snapdragon Mobile, Snapdragon Voice & Music, Snapdragon Wearables

Versions: Specific firmware versions not publicly detailed; affects multiple chipset generations.

Operating Systems: Android, Linux-based embedded systems, QNX, and other OS using Qualcomm modems

Default Config Vulnerable: ⚠️ Yes

Notes: Affects devices with cellular connectivity using vulnerable Qualcomm modem firmware. Exact device models depend on OEM implementation.

📦 What is this software?

⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact

🔴

Worst Case

Permanent loss of cellular data connectivity requiring device reboot or service intervention to restore functionality.

🟠

Likely Case

Temporary disruption of cellular data services lasting until the DTLS session times out or is reset, typically causing dropped connections and service interruptions.

🟢

If Mitigated

Minimal impact with proper network segmentation and monitoring; temporary service blips that auto-recover.

🌐 Internet-Facing: MEDIUM - Attack requires network access to cellular data interface but doesn't need authentication.

🏢 Internal Only: LOW - Primarily affects cellular network interfaces rather than internal enterprise networks.

🎯 Exploit Status

Public PoC: ✅ No

Weaponized: UNKNOWN

Unauthenticated Exploit: ⚠️ Yes

Complexity: MEDIUM

Exploitation requires sending malformed DTLS packets during handshake to the cellular data interface. No authentication needed but requires network access to the modem interface.

🛠️ Fix & Mitigation

✅ Official Fix

Patch Version: Vendor-specific firmware updates; check with device OEM for exact patched versions.

Vendor Advisory: https://www.qualcomm.com/company/product-security/bulletins/january-2024-bulletin

Restart Required: Yes

Instructions:

1. Check with device manufacturer for firmware updates. 2. Apply Qualcomm-provided modem firmware patches. 3. Reboot device to load new firmware. 4. Verify patch application through version checks.

🔧 Temporary Workarounds

Network Segmentation

all

Isolate cellular modem interfaces from untrusted networks to limit attack surface.

DTLS Session Monitoring

all

Monitor and alert on abnormal DTLS handshake patterns or failures.

🧯 If You Can't Patch

Implement network-level protections to filter malicious DTLS traffic
Monitor for DoS conditions and have incident response procedures ready

🔍 How to Verify

Check if Vulnerable:

Check device firmware version against OEM security bulletins. Use Qualcomm diagnostic tools if available.

Check Version:

Device-specific; typically through Android settings (Settings > About phone > Baseband version) or OEM diagnostic tools.

Verify Fix Applied:

Verify modem firmware version has been updated to patched version provided by OEM.

📡 Detection & Monitoring

Log Indicators:

Repeated DTLS handshake failures
Modem crash/restart logs
Cellular data service interruption events

Network Indicators:

Abnormal DTLS packet patterns to cellular interfaces
Spike in DTLS protocol errors

SIEM Query:

source="modem_logs" AND ("DTLS handshake failed" OR "modem restart")

📊 Metadata

CVE ID: CVE-2023-33040

CVSS v3 Score: 7.5 (HIGH)

CVSS Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H

CWE: CWE-126

Published: January 2, 2024

Last Updated: November 21, 2024

🔗 References

https://www.qualcomm.com/company/product-security/bulletins/january-2024-bulletin Vendor Advisory
https://www.qualcomm.com/company/product-security/bulletins/january-2024-bulletin Vendor Advisory

📋 TL;DR

💻 Affected Systems

📦 What is this software?

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