CVE-2023-33056

Q: What is the severity of CVE-2023-33056?

CVE-2023-33056 has a CVSS score of 7.5 (HIGH). This vulnerability allows a denial-of-service attack against WLAN firmware when it receives a specially crafted beacon frame containing a T2LM (Target Wake Time Link Management) Information Element. Attackers within Wi-Fi range can crash the firmware, disrupting wireless connectivity. Affects devices with vulnerable Qualcomm WLAN chipsets.

7.5 HIGH

Denial of Service

📋 TL;DR

This vulnerability allows a denial-of-service attack against WLAN firmware when it receives a specially crafted beacon frame containing a T2LM (Target Wake Time Link Management) Information Element. Attackers within Wi-Fi range can crash the firmware, disrupting wireless connectivity. Affects devices with vulnerable Qualcomm WLAN chipsets.

💻 Affected Systems

Products:

Qualcomm WLAN chipsets and devices using them

Versions: Specific firmware versions not publicly detailed in bulletin

Operating Systems: Android, Linux, and other OS using Qualcomm WLAN drivers

Default Config Vulnerable: ⚠️ Yes

Notes: Affects devices with Wi-Fi enabled. Exact chipset models not specified in public bulletin.

📦 What is this software?

⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact

🔴

Worst Case

Permanent device bricking requiring hardware replacement if firmware corruption occurs during crash

🟠

Likely Case

Temporary Wi-Fi disconnection requiring device reboot to restore functionality

🟢

If Mitigated

No impact if patched firmware is installed or device is out of Wi-Fi range

🌐 Internet-Facing: MEDIUM - Requires attacker to be within Wi-Fi range but no authentication needed

🏢 Internal Only: MEDIUM - Same risk applies internally if attacker has Wi-Fi access

🎯 Exploit Status

Public PoC: ✅ No

Weaponized: UNKNOWN

Unauthenticated Exploit: ⚠️ Yes

Complexity: LOW

Attack requires sending malformed beacon frames, which can be done with standard Wi-Fi penetration testing tools

🛠️ Fix & Mitigation

✅ Official Fix

Patch Version: Refer to device manufacturer or Qualcomm security bulletin for specific patched versions

Vendor Advisory: https://www.qualcomm.com/company/product-security/bulletins/november-2023-bulletin

Restart Required: Yes

Instructions:

1. Check with device manufacturer for firmware updates. 2. Apply latest firmware from official sources. 3. Reboot device after update.

🔧 Temporary Workarounds

Disable Wi-Fi when not needed

all

Turn off Wi-Fi radio to prevent beacon frame reception

# Android: adb shell svc wifi disable
# Linux: sudo nmcli radio wifi off
# Windows: netsh interface set interface "Wi-Fi" admin=disable

Use wired Ethernet

all

Switch to wired connections in high-risk environments

🧯 If You Can't Patch

Deploy in Faraday cages or shielded environments for critical devices
Implement physical security controls to limit Wi-Fi access range

🔍 How to Verify

Check if Vulnerable:

Check device firmware version against manufacturer's patched versions list

Check Version:

# Android: getprop ro.build.fingerprint
# Linux: dmesg | grep -i qualcomm
# Check device settings for firmware version

Verify Fix Applied:

Confirm firmware version matches or exceeds patched version from manufacturer

📡 Detection & Monitoring

Log Indicators:

WLAN firmware crash logs
Unexpected Wi-Fi disconnections
Kernel panic messages related to WLAN

Network Indicators:

Multiple beacon frames with malformed T2LM IE from single source
Unusual Wi-Fi disconnection patterns

SIEM Query:

source="*wlan*" AND ("crash" OR "panic" OR "reset") AND NOT user_initiated

📊 Metadata

CVE ID: CVE-2023-33056

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-476

Published: November 7, 2023

Last Updated: November 21, 2024

🔗 References

https://www.qualcomm.com/company/product-security/bulletins/november-2023-bulletin Vendor Advisory
https://www.qualcomm.com/company/product-security/bulletins/november-2023-bulletin Vendor Advisory

📋 TL;DR

💻 Affected Systems

📦 What is this software?

Ar8035 Firmware by Qualcomm

Csr8811 Firmware by Qualcomm

Immersive Home 214 Platform Firmware by Qualcomm

Immersive Home 216 Platform Firmware by Qualcomm

Immersive Home 316 Platform Firmware by Qualcomm

Immersive Home 318 Platform Firmware by Qualcomm

Immersive Home 3210 Platform Firmware by Qualcomm

Immersive Home 326 Platform Firmware by Qualcomm

Ipq5010 Firmware by Qualcomm

Ipq5028 Firmware by Qualcomm

Ipq5332 Firmware by Qualcomm

Ipq6000 Firmware by Qualcomm

Ipq6010 Firmware by Qualcomm

Ipq6018 Firmware by Qualcomm

Ipq6028 Firmware by Qualcomm

Ipq8070a Firmware by Qualcomm

Ipq8071a Firmware by Qualcomm

Ipq8072a Firmware by Qualcomm

Ipq8074a Firmware by Qualcomm

Ipq8076 Firmware by Qualcomm

Ipq8076a Firmware by Qualcomm

Ipq8078 Firmware by Qualcomm

Ipq8078a Firmware by Qualcomm

Ipq8173 Firmware by Qualcomm

Ipq8174 Firmware by Qualcomm

Ipq9008 Firmware by Qualcomm

Ipq9554 Firmware by Qualcomm

Ipq9570 Firmware by Qualcomm

Ipq9574 Firmware by Qualcomm

Qam8255p Firmware by Qualcomm

Qam8650p Firmware by Qualcomm

Qam8775p Firmware by Qualcomm

Qca0000 Firmware by Qualcomm

Qca4024 Firmware by Qualcomm

Qca6554a Firmware by Qualcomm

Qca6564au Firmware by Qualcomm

Qca6574 Firmware by Qualcomm

Qca6574a Firmware by Qualcomm

Qca6574au Firmware by Qualcomm

Qca6584au Firmware by Qualcomm

Qca6595 Firmware by Qualcomm

Qca6595au Firmware by Qualcomm

Qca6696 Firmware by Qualcomm

Qca6698aq Firmware by Qualcomm

Qca6797aq Firmware by Qualcomm

Qca8075 Firmware by Qualcomm

Qca8081 Firmware by Qualcomm

Qca8082 Firmware by Qualcomm

Qca8084 Firmware by Qualcomm

Qca8085 Firmware by Qualcomm

Qca8337 Firmware by Qualcomm

Qca8386 Firmware by Qualcomm

Qca9888 Firmware by Qualcomm

Qca9889 Firmware by Qualcomm

Qcc2073 Firmware by Qualcomm

Qcc2076 Firmware by Qualcomm

Qcc710 Firmware by Qualcomm

Qcf8000 Firmware by Qualcomm

Qcf8001 Firmware by Qualcomm

Qcm8550 Firmware by Qualcomm

Qcn5022 Firmware by Qualcomm

Qcn5024 Firmware by Qualcomm

Qcn5052 Firmware by Qualcomm

Qcn5122 Firmware by Qualcomm

Qcn5124 Firmware by Qualcomm

Qcn5152 Firmware by Qualcomm

Qcn5154 Firmware by Qualcomm

Qcn5164 Firmware by Qualcomm

Qcn6023 Firmware by Qualcomm

Qcn6024 Firmware by Qualcomm

Qcn6112 Firmware by Qualcomm

Qcn6122 Firmware by Qualcomm

Qcn6132 Firmware by Qualcomm

Qcn6224 Firmware by Qualcomm

Qcn6274 Firmware by Qualcomm

Qcn9000 Firmware by Qualcomm

Qcn9012 Firmware by Qualcomm