CVE-2024-55568
📋 TL;DR
A missing NULL pointer check in Samsung Exynos processors allows attackers to cause Denial of Service by sending malformed MM (Mobility Management) packets. This affects Samsung mobile devices, wearables, and modems using vulnerable Exynos chips. The vulnerability impacts cellular connectivity functionality.
💻 Affected Systems
- Samsung Mobile Processor
- Samsung Wearable Processor
- Samsung Modem
- Exynos 980
- Exynos 990
- Exynos 850
- Exynos 1080
- Exynos 2100
- Exynos 1280
- Exynos 2200
- Exynos 1330
- Exynos 1380
- Exynos 1480
- Exynos 2400
- Exynos 9110
- Exynos W920
- Exynos W930
- Exynos W1000
- Modem 5123
- Modem 5300
- Modem 5400
📦 What is this software?
⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact
Worst Case
Complete loss of cellular connectivity (voice, data, SMS) on affected devices, requiring device restart or potentially hardware replacement.
Likely Case
Temporary cellular service disruption affecting voice calls and mobile data until device restarts.
If Mitigated
Limited impact with proper network filtering and device isolation.
🎯 Exploit Status
Exploitation requires sending specially crafted MM packets to cellular interface. Requires proximity or network access to target's cellular connection.
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: Device-specific firmware updates from Samsung
Vendor Advisory: https://semiconductor.samsung.com/support/quality-support/product-security-updates/cve-2024-55568/
Restart Required: Yes
Instructions:
1. Check for device firmware updates in Settings > Software update. 2. Install available updates. 3. Restart device after installation. 4. For enterprise devices, deploy updates via MDM solutions.
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Disable cellular when not needed
allSwitch to airplane mode or disable cellular data when not actively using mobile services
Use Wi-Fi calling
allEnable Wi-Fi calling to reduce dependency on vulnerable cellular stack
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Isolate affected devices on separate network segments
- Implement network monitoring for malformed MM packets
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Check device model and processor in Settings > About phone. Compare with affected products list.Check Version:
Settings > About phone > Software information > Build numberVerify Fix Applied:
Check firmware version after update and verify it's newer than vulnerable versions. Check Samsung security bulletins for patch details.📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- Unexpected modem resets
- Cellular service disconnections
- MM protocol errors in modem logs
Network Indicators:
- Malformed MM packets in cellular traffic
- Unusual packet patterns targeting cellular interfaces
SIEM Query:
source="modem_logs" AND (event="reset" OR event="disconnect") AND NOT user_initiated=true