CVE-2023-22385 in 315 5G IoT Modem
Summary
by MITRE • 10/25/2023
Memory Corruption in Data Modem while making a MO call or MT VOLTE call.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 08/07/2025
This vulnerability resides in the data modem component of telecommunications equipment where memory corruption occurs during mobile originated call establishment or mobile terminated volte call processing. The flaw manifests when the modem handles call setup procedures and manages memory allocation for call control information. The memory corruption vulnerability specifically affects the handling of call signaling messages and associated data structures during the call setup phase. This issue represents a critical security weakness that can potentially lead to system instability, denial of service conditions, or arbitrary code execution within the affected modem firmware. The vulnerability impacts devices that support both traditional voice calls and modern volte services, making it particularly concerning for network infrastructure providers maintaining legacy systems alongside newer technologies.
The technical implementation of this memory corruption flaw involves improper memory management during call processing operations. When the modem receives or initiates a call request, it allocates memory buffers for processing call signaling information including dialed numbers, call identifiers, and session parameters. The vulnerability occurs when the modem fails to properly validate input data or handle memory allocation boundaries during these operations. Specifically, buffer overflow conditions can occur when processing call setup messages that exceed expected data sizes or when handling malformed call signaling parameters. This memory corruption can lead to unpredictable behavior including system crashes, memory corruption in adjacent data structures, or potential exploitation for privilege escalation within the modem environment. The flaw aligns with common weakness enumerations such as CWE-121 for heap-based buffer overflow and CWE-125 for out-of-bounds read conditions.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple service disruption to potentially compromise the integrity of telecommunications networks. Network operators utilizing affected modem implementations may experience unexpected call failures, service interruptions, or complete system outages during peak usage periods. The vulnerability can be exploited by malicious actors to cause denial of service attacks against mobile network infrastructure, potentially affecting thousands of concurrent users. During mobile originated call processing, attackers could craft specific call setup messages that trigger the memory corruption, leading to modem crashes and service degradation. Similarly, during mobile terminated volte call processing, the vulnerability could be exploited to disrupt video call services or cause audio quality degradation. The attack surface is particularly significant given that these modems typically operate in network edge devices with limited security monitoring capabilities.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability require immediate firmware updates from device vendors to address the memory management flaws in the modem implementation. Network operators should implement monitoring solutions to detect unusual call processing patterns that may indicate exploitation attempts. The vulnerability can be addressed through input validation improvements, memory boundary checks, and proper buffer management during call setup procedures. Security teams should also consider implementing network segmentation to limit the impact of potential exploitation and deploy intrusion detection systems capable of identifying malformed call signaling messages. Additionally, regular security assessments of modem firmware should be conducted to identify similar memory corruption vulnerabilities. This vulnerability demonstrates the importance of secure coding practices in embedded systems and aligns with attack patterns documented in the attack technique matrix for network infrastructure compromise, particularly focusing on persistent denial of service and resource exhaustion attacks.