CVE-2018-15543
CWE-287Published: October 9, 2018· Updated: Jun 17, 2026
Official Description
An issue was discovered in the org.telegram.messenger application 4.8.11 for Android. The FingerprintManager class for Biometric validation allows authentication bypass through the callback method from onAuthenticationFailed to onAuthenticationSucceeded with null, because the fingerprint API in conjunction with the Android keyGenerator class is not implemented. In other words, an attacker could authenticate with an arbitrary fingerprint. 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
Technical Analysis
CVE-2018-15543 requires local access, meaning attackers must already have a foothold on the target system.
The vulnerability requires no privileges and no user interaction, making it a prime target for automated exploitation campaigns and worm-like propagation.
A successful exploit results in complete confidentiality breach (data exposure), full integrity compromise (data manipulation), availability disruption (denial of service), with a CVSS base score of 6.8.
From a weakness classification perspective (CWE-287): Authentication bypass vulnerabilities allow attackers to access protected resources without valid credentials.
CVSS v3.1 Vector Breakdown
Affected Vendors & Products
Exploit & PoC Resources
Official Patches & Advisories
All References (2)
Quick Facts
Related CVEs (CWE-287)
Recommended Actions
- →Apply vendor patches immediately
- →Monitor CVE-2018-15543 in threat intel feeds
- →Review IDS/IPS signatures for exploitation attempts