How severe is CVE-2018-15542?

CVE-2018-15542 has a CVSS 3.x base score of 6.4, rated medium severity. It is exploitable over physical access with high attack complexity, requires no privileges and no user interaction. Impact on confidentiality is high, integrity high, and availability high.

Is CVE-2018-15542 being actively exploited?

It is not currently listed in CISA's KEV catalog. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score is 0% (26th percentile), an estimate of the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.

What products are affected by CVE-2018-15542?

CVE-2018-15542 affects Telegram. See the affected-products list for the exact vulnerable versions.

How do I fix CVE-2018-15542?

Review the linked vendor and NVD advisories for patched versions and mitigations, then upgrade or apply the recommended workaround.

When was CVE-2018-15542 published?

CVE-2018-15542 was published on 2018-10-09 and last updated on 2026-06-17.

CVE-2018-15542

CVE-2018-15542 is a medium-severity vulnerability in Telegram with a CVSS 3.x base score of 6.4. It is not currently listed as actively exploited by CISA, and its EPSS exploit-prediction score is low. The underlying weakness is classified as CWE-287.

Key facts

Severity: Medium (CVSS 3.x base score 6.4)
CVSS v2: 4.4
EPSS exploit prediction: 0% (26th percentile)
Actively exploited: Not listed in CISA KEV
Weakness: CWE-287
Affected product: Telegram
Published: 2018-10-09
Last modified: 2026-06-17

Description

An issue was discovered in the org.telegram.messenger application 4.8.11 for Android. The Passcode feature allows authentication bypass via runtime manipulation that forces a certain method's return value to true. In other words, an attacker could authenticate with an arbitrary passcode. NOTE: the vendor indicates that this is not an attack of interest within the context of their threat model, which excludes Android devices on which rooting has occurred

Frequently asked questions

What is CVE-2018-15542?: An issue was discovered in the org.telegram.messenger application 4.8.11 for Android. The Passcode feature allows authentication bypass via runtime manipulation that forces a certain method's return value to true. In other words, an attacker could authenticate with an arbitrary passcode. NOTE: the vendor indicates that this is not an attack of interest within the context of their threat model, which excludes Android devices on which rooting has occurred
How severe is CVE-2018-15542?: CVE-2018-15542 has a CVSS 3.x base score of 6.4, rated medium severity. It is exploitable over physical access with high attack complexity, requires no privileges and no user interaction. Impact on confidentiality is high, integrity high, and availability high.
Is CVE-2018-15542 being actively exploited?: It is not currently listed in CISA's KEV catalog. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score is 0% (26th percentile), an estimate of the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.
What products are affected by CVE-2018-15542?: CVE-2018-15542 affects Telegram. See the affected-products list for the exact vulnerable versions.
How do I fix CVE-2018-15542?: Review the linked vendor and NVD advisories for patched versions and mitigations, then upgrade or apply the recommended workaround.
When was CVE-2018-15542 published?: CVE-2018-15542 was published on 2018-10-09 and last updated on 2026-06-17.

References

https://gist.github.com/tanprathan/18d0f692a2485acfb5693e2f6dabeb5d

Affected products (1)

cpe:2.3:a:telegram:telegram:4.8.11:*:*:*:*:android:*:*

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