Unisoc SoCs Reportedly Have A Critical Security Vulnerability

According to CheckPoint Research (via Gizmochina), Unisoc SoCs are affected by a critical security vulnerability, and smartphones using these chips are at risk.

Unisoc is a Chinese semiconductor company that produces processing units and different kinds of chips for smartphones. Now, the company has come up with a security vulnerability. As per the report, the vulnerability is available in modem firmware and affects 4G and 5G Unisoc chipsets.

CheckPoint Research refers to the issue as CVE-2022-20210, which they found while scanning Non-Access Stratum (NAS) message handlers. The vulnerability can neutralize or block the cellular communication capabilities of the device.

Smartphones with Unisoc SoCs suffer from a critical security vulnerability

According to Slava Makkaveev, Reverse Engineering and Security Research attorney at Check Point Software, “An attacker could have used a radio station to send a malformed packet that would reset the modem, depriving the user of the possibility of communication. Left unpatched, cellular communication can be blocked by an attacker.”

It is not yet clear which phone models suffer from this security vulnerability. But the Motorola Moto G20 is one of the devices that use the Unisoc T700 chip and has this security flaw. The phone also received the Android January 2022 security patch. Motorola Moto E32 is another device that features a Unisoc chip.

Of course, CheckPoint Research had informed Unisoc of this security vulnerability, and they had acknowledged that they were aware of it. This is not the first time security researchers have found a vulnerability in the Unisoc chips. A few months ago, the mobile security firm Kryptowire also detected a massive security bug on the devices running on the Unisoc SC9863A chipset.

Makkaveev says users can do nothing at this moment. However, they have to wait for the release of a patch by Google in the upcoming Android Security Bulletin. If your smartphone uses a Unisoc chipset, keep your eyes on the security patches released to your device. Don’t forget to install the latest updates.