How severe is CVE-2023-36998?

CVE-2023-36998 has a CVSS 3.x base score of 8.9, rated high severity. It is exploitable over an adjacent network with low attack complexity, requires low privileges and no user interaction. Impact on confidentiality is low, integrity high, and availability high.

Is CVE-2023-36998 being actively exploited?

It is not currently listed in CISA's KEV catalog. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score is 0% (28th percentile), an estimate of the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.

How do I fix CVE-2023-36998?

Review the linked vendor and NVD advisories for patched versions and mitigations, then upgrade or apply the recommended workaround. Given its high severity, prioritise patching exposed systems.

Does CVE-2023-36998 have an EU (EUVD) identifier?

Yes. CVE-2023-36998 is tracked in the ENISA EU Vulnerability Database (EUVD) as EUVD-2023-40918.

When was CVE-2023-36998 published?

CVE-2023-36998 was published on 2025-01-22 and last updated on 2026-07-05.

CVE-2023-36998

Q: What is CVE-2023-36998?

The NextEPC MME <= 1.0.1 (fixed in commit a8492c9c5bc0a66c6999cb5a263545b32a4109df) contains a stack-based buffer overflow vulnerability in the Emergency Number List decoding method. An attacker may send a NAS message containing an oversized Emergency Number List value to the MME to overwrite the stack with arbitrary bytes. An attacker with a cellphone connection to any base station managed by the MME may exploit this vulnerability without having to authenticate with the LTE core.

CVE-2023-36998 is a high-severity vulnerability with a CVSS 3.x base score of 8.9. 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-121.

Key facts

Severity: High (CVSS 3.x base score 8.9)
EPSS exploit prediction: 0% (28th percentile)
Actively exploited: Not listed in CISA KEV
EU (EUVD) id: EUVD-2023-40918
Weakness: CWE-121
Published: 2025-01-22
Last modified: 2026-07-05

Description

The NextEPC MME <= 1.0.1 (fixed in commit a8492c9c5bc0a66c6999cb5a263545b32a4109df) contains a stack-based buffer overflow vulnerability in the Emergency Number List decoding method. An attacker may send a NAS message containing an oversized Emergency Number List value to the MME to overwrite the stack with arbitrary bytes. An attacker with a cellphone connection to any base station managed by the MME may exploit this vulnerability without having to authenticate with the LTE core.

Frequently asked questions

What is CVE-2023-36998?: The NextEPC MME <= 1.0.1 (fixed in commit a8492c9c5bc0a66c6999cb5a263545b32a4109df) contains a stack-based buffer overflow vulnerability in the Emergency Number List decoding method. An attacker may send a NAS message containing an oversized Emergency Number List value to the MME to overwrite the stack with arbitrary bytes. An attacker with a cellphone connection to any base station managed by the MME may exploit this vulnerability without having to authenticate with the LTE core.
How severe is CVE-2023-36998?: CVE-2023-36998 has a CVSS 3.x base score of 8.9, rated high severity. It is exploitable over an adjacent network with low attack complexity, requires low privileges and no user interaction. Impact on confidentiality is low, integrity high, and availability high.
Is CVE-2023-36998 being actively exploited?: It is not currently listed in CISA's KEV catalog. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score is 0% (28th percentile), an estimate of the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.
How do I fix CVE-2023-36998?: Review the linked vendor and NVD advisories for patched versions and mitigations, then upgrade or apply the recommended workaround. Given its high severity, prioritise patching exposed systems.
Does CVE-2023-36998 have an EU (EUVD) identifier?: Yes. CVE-2023-36998 is tracked in the ENISA EU Vulnerability Database (EUVD) as EUVD-2023-40918.
When was CVE-2023-36998 published?: CVE-2023-36998 was published on 2025-01-22 and last updated on 2026-07-05.

References

https://cellularsecurity.org/ransacked

EU advisories (EUVD)

http://nextepc.com

Other CWE-121 (Stack-based Buffer Overflow) vulnerabilities

CVE-2026-12848 — Critical (CVSS 10.0): GV-I/O Box 4E is a smart embedded device with 4 input and 4 relays output that can be controlled over Ethernet and…
CVE-2026-12847 — Critical (CVSS 10.0): GV-I/O Box 4E is a smart embedded device with 4 input and 4 relays output that can be controlled over Ethernet and…
CVE-2026-12846 — Critical (CVSS 10.0): GV-I/O Box 4E is a smart embedded device with 4 input and 4 relays output that can be controlled over Ethernet and…
CVE-2026-12485 — Critical (CVSS 10.0): GV-I/O Box 4E is a smart embedded device with 4 input and 4 relays output that can be controlled over Ethernet and…
CVE-2026-37541 — Critical (CVSS 10.0): Buffer overflow vulnerability in Open Vehicle Monitoring System 3 (OVMS3) 3.3.005. In canformat_gvret.cpp, the length…
CVE-2026-42996 — Critical (CVSS 10.0): JS8Call through 2.3.1 and JS8Call-improved before 3.0 have a stack-based buffer overflow via a radio transmission of…

Browse all CWE-121 (Stack-based Buffer Overflow) vulnerabilities →