Attack ChainAIDerived
Hypothetical attack flow derived from CVE metadata – not a confirmed exploit chain
-
AccessDeploy rogue 5G gNB in proximity
-
DeliveryLure device to camp on rogue cell via stronger signal
-
ExploitSend malformed RRC Reconfiguration message
-
ExecutionTrigger NULL pointer dereference in Exynos baseband
-
ImpactModem crash causes loss of cellular connectivity
Vulnerability Assessment
| Weakness |
CWE
OWASP Top 10:2025
A10:2025 - Mishandling of Exceptional Conditions
ASVS 5.0
V16 - Security Logging and Error Handling Null pointer safety, defensive checks
MITRE ATT&CK
1 technique across 1 tactic: Impact The technique list with ATT&CK links and the kill-chain view is part of the Basic plan and up. |
| Exploitation Conditions | The victim device must use one of the 16 affected Exynos SoC or modem variants and be operating on a 5G NR network (NR RRC path, not 4G LTE). The attacker must be able to deliver a malformed RRC Reconfiguration message to the target device, which in practice requires operating a rogue 5G base station (gNB) or compromising a legitimate network element within range of the target - a significant technical and physical prerequisite. The device must connect to the attacker-controlled cell, which typically requires the rogue signal to be stronger than the legitimate serving cell (RSRP-based cell selection). No special app, user interaction, or device configuration is required once the device camps on the malicious cell. Exploitation is limited by: (1) physical proximity requirement for radio range, (2) significant technical capability to stand up a 5G NR gNB, (3) availability impact only - no data exfiltration or code execution consequence, and (4) high attack complexity as reflected in AC:H. |
| Impact | The vendor-assigned CVSS 3.1 score of 3.5 (Low) accurately reflects the constrained real-world impact. The attack vector is Network (AV:N, representing the air interface), but High Complexity (AC:H) gates exploitation behind a significant capability requirement: the attacker must control or simulate a 5G gNB to deliver a crafted RRC Reconfiguration message - well beyond the means of opportunistic or remote internet attackers. The impact ceiling is Availability:Low with no confidentiality or integrity consequence, meaning the worst realistic outcome is a transient loss of cellular connectivity or modem reset. No public exploit code exists and no EPSS score is available in the provided data, but the operational barrier (rogue base station setup, proximity to target) keeps realistic risk low regardless. Even a network security team in gdynia managing a large Samsung device fleet should treat this primarily as a carrier/infrastructure concern rather than a direct end-user threat, applying Samsung's security update when it becomes available through normal patch cadence. The CVSS S:C (Changed Scope) is technically defensible - modem crashes affect host connectivity - but should not inflate perceived severity given the A:L outcome ceiling. |
| Exploit ScenarioDerived | An attacker deploys a software-defined radio (SDR) configured as a rogue 5G gNB in proximity to a target Samsung device. When the target device camps on the rogue cell, the attacker transmits a specially crafted RRC Reconfiguration message with a malformed field that triggers a NULL pointer dereference in the Exynos modem firmware, causing the baseband to crash and the device to lose cellular connectivity until the modem resets. No public exploit code exists for this vulnerability at time of analysis. |
Get an e-mail when this CVE is exploited, patched or re-scored. Free account.
Alert meAnalysisAIv1 – Sep 14, 2026
NULL pointer dereference in the 5G NR baseband of Samsung Exynos processors and modems causes a denial-of-service condition when a malformed RRC Reconfiguration message is received from the network. Sixteen Exynos chip variants are affected, spanning Samsung flagship, mid-range, and wearable devices - including Exynos 850, 1080, 2100, 2200, 2400, W920, W930, W1000, Modem 5410, and others. An attacker capable of injecting or spoofing RRC layer signaling (e.g., via a rogue base station) can trigger a crash in the L2/RRC processing stack, disrupting cellular connectivity. No public exploit code or active exploitation has been identified at time of analysis.
RemediationAI
Apply the firmware or security patch issued by Samsung for each affected Exynos variant as documented in the Samsung Product Security Updates page at https://semiconductor.samsung.com/support/quality-supply/product-security-updates/cve-2026-33970/. On Android-based Samsung devices, this update is typically delivered via a monthly security patch to the device's baseband firmware. Users should ensure their Samsung device is updated to the latest available security patch level. Patch available per vendor advisory; a specific fixed firmware version number has not been independently confirmed from the available data. As a compensating control where patching is not immediately possible, enterprise mobility management (EMM) solutions can restrict devices to Wi-Fi-only connectivity to eliminate 5G NR RRC attack surface, at the cost of cellular network access. There is no user-facing configuration within the Exynos modem firmware to disable RRC Reconfiguration processing, so disabling the vulnerable code path is not feasible without a firmware update.
Affected VersionsENISA
Affected Packages
Source: OSV (Open Source Vulnerabilities)
Affects your stack
Affects 1 package in euvd
Checking this CVE against your own stacks and servers is part of the Basic plan and up.
Technical ContextAI · show details
NR RRC (New Radio Radio Resource Control) is the 3GPP Layer 3 signaling protocol used between the 5G gNB (base station) and UE (user equipment). L2 refers to the data-link sublayers (PDCP, RLC, MAC) beneath RRC. The Exynos baseband processor handles this stack in firmware on-chip, independent of the application processor. A NULL pointer dereference (CWE-476) occurs when the RRC Reconfiguration message - a network-to-device control message used to modify bearers, measurement config, and security keys - is malformed in a way that leaves an internal pointer uninitialized or cleared before the dereference. The affected CPE is cpe:2.3:a:samsung:exynos_850_firmware:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*, though the advisory covers 16 distinct Exynos SoC/modem variants from Exynos 850 through Exynos 2500/1680 and standalone modems. The Changed Scope (S:C) in the CVSS vector reflects that a modem firmware crash can disrupt application-processor connectivity, effectively taking the device off-network.
Know when Exynos 850 Firmware gets its next vulnerability
- Watch products and get an email when something new is published
- Check this CVE against your own stack and servers
- Exploit and PoC references, threat intelligence from 22 sources
No credit card · 7-day full trial
Severity by source
AV:N/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:C/C:N/I:N/A:L
Attack requires rogue base station within radio range (AV:A/AC:H/PR:N); scope change overstated for a modem reset causing only low availability loss.
Primary rating from Vendor (mitre).
CVSS VectorVendor: mitre
DescriptionCVE.org
An issue was discovered in NR RRC and L2 in Samsung Mobile Processor, Wearable Processor, and Modem Exynos 850, 1080, 2100, 1280, 2200, 1330, 1380, 1480, 2400, 1580, 2500, 1680, W920, W930, W1000, and Modem 5410. In the 5G baseband, a NULL Pointer Dereference occurs when processing a malformed RRC Reconfiguration message.
Threat Intelligence Overview
How this decision was reached
The engine reads each signal below and applies a fixed list of rules from top to bottom. The first rule that matches sets the recommended action – like a statement, every line is shown.
What every action level means
SSVC AssessmentENISA
Priority Score
Attack Technique
A null pointer dereference occurs when a program attempts to access memory through a pointer that has been set to NULL (address 0x0).
Denial of Service attacks render applications or systems unavailable by overwhelming resources or triggering failure conditions.
Related Vulnerabilities in Samsung Exynos NR RRC Modem Vulnerabilities
View all 2More in Exynos 850 Firmware
View allAn issue was discovered in Samsung Mobile Chipset and Baseband Modem Chipset for Exynos 850, Exynos 980, Exynos 1080, Ex
An issue was discovered in Samsung Mobile Chipset and Baseband Modem Chipset for Exynos 850, Exynos 980, Exynos 1080, Ex
An issue was discovered in Samsung Mobile Chipset and Baseband Modem Chipset for Exynos 850, Exynos 980, Exynos 1080, Ex
An issue was discovered in Samsung Mobile Chipset and Baseband Modem Chipset for Exynos 850, Exynos 980, Exynos 1080, Ex
In RRC in Samsung Mobile Processor, Wearable Processor, and Modem Exynos 980, 990, 850, 1080, 2100, 1280, 2200, 1330, 13
Samsung Exynos processors (multiple models including 980, 990, 2100, 2200, 2400) and modems have an out-of-bounds write
An issue was discovered in Samsung Mobile Processor and Wearable Processor Exynos 850, Exynos 1080, Exynos 2100, Exynos
An issue was discovered in Samsung Mobile Processor, Wearable Processor, and Modem Exynos 9820, 9825, 980, 990, 850, 108
An issue was discovered in the m2m scaler driver in Samsung Mobile Processor and Wearable Processor Exynos 9820, 9825, 9
A vulnerability was discovered in Samsung Mobile Processor, Wearable Processor, and Modems with versions Exynos 9820, Ex
The MFC (Multi Format Codec) encoder driver in Samsung Exynos mobile and wearable processors contains a double-free vuln
An issue was discovered in Samsung Mobile Processor Exynos 980, Exynos 850, Exynos 1280, Exynos 1380, and Exynos 1330. R
EUVD-2026-77174
GHSA-f639-4hcc-p36p
NVD
CVE.org
EPSS
Exploit-DB