CVE-2026-20597 in MT2716
Summary
by MITRE • 11/02/2026
In Modem, there is a possible out of bounds read due to a missing bounds check. This could lead to remote denial of service, if a UE has connected to a rogue base station controlled by the attacker, with no additional execution privileges needed. User interaction is not needed for exploitation. Patch ID: MOLY01758223; Issue ID: MSV-8909.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 11/02/2026
The vulnerability identified under issue identifier MSV-8909 and addressed by patch MOLY01758223 represents a critical security flaw within the modem subsystem of mobile devices, specifically involving an out-of-bounds read condition resulting from insufficient input validation. This type of memory safety error occurs when the software accesses data outside the intended buffer boundaries without performing necessary range checks before execution. In the context of cellular communication protocols, such flaws are particularly dangerous because they reside in low-level components that handle raw network traffic and protocol stack processing. The absence of a bounds check means that if a modem receives malformed or excessively long packets from a base station, it may attempt to read memory locations beyond the allocated buffer space. This behavior violates fundamental principles of secure coding as defined by CWE-125, which describes out-of-bounds read vulnerabilities where software reads data past the end or before the beginning of the intended buffer.
The operational impact of this vulnerability is severe due to its potential for remote exploitation without any user interaction. An attacker can establish a rogue base station, often referred to as an IMSI catcher or fake cell tower, which broadcasts signals designed to mimic legitimate network infrastructure but contains maliciously crafted protocol messages. When a User Equipment connects to this rogue base station during normal operation, such as when moving through an area with weak signal strength and the device attempts to register on available networks, it processes these malformed packets within its modem firmware. Because no additional execution privileges are required for exploitation, even standard unprivileged network stack processing can trigger the flaw. The immediate consequence is a remote denial of service condition where the modem crashes or becomes unstable due to accessing invalid memory addresses. This disruption effectively disconnects the user from cellular services and may require a device reboot to restore functionality, thereby degrading availability which is one of the core pillars of information security alongside confidentiality and integrity.
From an offensive security perspective, this vulnerability aligns with techniques observed in advanced persistent threats targeting mobile infrastructure. It maps closely to MITRE ATT&CK technique T1583.004, Acquisition of Infrastructure: Cellular Network Equipment, where adversaries set up rogue base stations to intercept or disrupt communications. The exploitation vector leverages the trust relationship inherent in cellular protocols, allowing an attacker at physical proximity to compromise device availability without needing social engineering or user clicks. While out-of-bounds reads are sometimes used for information disclosure leading to remote code execution via heap spraying techniques, in this specific instance, the primary documented impact is denial of service. However, the underlying memory corruption nature means that further research could potentially reveal paths to arbitrary read operations, which would elevate the severity significantly by allowing extraction of sensitive data from device memory such as encryption keys or user credentials stored during session establishment.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability rely heavily on the implementation provided in patch MOLY01758223, which introduces rigorous bounds checking mechanisms within the modem firmware to validate packet lengths and buffer indices before processing. Device manufacturers must ensure that these patches are distributed through secure over-the-air update channels or service center interventions to all affected device models. For end-users, maintaining up-to-date software versions is the primary defense against such low-level protocol vulnerabilities. Additionally, network operators can implement signaling message validation at the core network level to detect and drop anomalous traffic patterns that resemble attacks from rogue base stations, although this does not protect devices connected directly to malicious infrastructure outside of operator control. Security researchers should continue to monitor for related issues in adjacent protocol handlers as attackers often chain multiple minor flaws to achieve more complex exploitation scenarios involving privilege escalation or data exfiltration beyond simple denial of service.