LiveActive security incident?Get immediate response
CVE Record

CVE-2018-15543: An issue was discovered in the org.telegram.messenger application 4.8.11 for Android.

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

UnknownCVSS not scoredNot KEV-listedUpdated
Discuss exposureBack to CVEs
Glexia's TakeAutomated analysismoderate

Security readout for executives and security teams

Plain-English summary

This CVE concerns Telegram for Android 4.8.11, where fingerprint-based app authentication could be bypassed under the described conditions. The vendor states this is outside its threat model when Android devices are rooted. Business urgency is mainly for organizations that depend on Telegram’s fingerprint lock on unmanaged, rooted, or tampered devices.

Executive priority

Prioritize review if Telegram is approved for sensitive business communication on Android, especially outside managed-device controls. This is not supported as a broad emergency by the bundle because severity, CVSS, patch status, and active exploitation evidence are absent.

Technical view

The report describes improper biometric validation in org.telegram.messenger 4.8.11 for Android. FingerprintManager callback handling could be manipulated from failed to succeeded with null because Android Fingerprint API and keyGenerator integration were not implemented as expected. No CVSS, CWE, patch, or active exploitation evidence is provided in the source bundle.

Likely exposure

Exposure appears limited to Telegram for Android version 4.8.11, especially where app-level biometric lock is relied on and devices may be rooted or otherwise tampered with. The bundle does not identify other Telegram versions, platforms, or products as affected.

Exploitation context

The source describes an authentication bypass concept but does not provide KEV listing or cited evidence of active exploitation. Vendor context narrows relevance by excluding rooted Android devices from its threat model, so exploitation risk depends heavily on device integrity and local control assumptions.

Researcher notes

The affected metadata is sparse and lists vendor/product as n/a, while the description names org.telegram.messenger 4.8.11 for Android. The key uncertainty is threat-model scope: the vendor says rooted Android devices are excluded. Treat conclusions beyond that as unsupported unless additional vendor evidence is obtained.

Mitigation direction

  • Check Telegram vendor guidance and release notes for affected-version handling.
  • Inventory Android devices running org.telegram.messenger version 4.8.11.
  • Do not rely on Telegram fingerprint lock on rooted or tampered Android devices.
  • Enforce mobile device compliance controls that detect rooting or tampering.
  • Use managed app update policies where Telegram is permitted for business use.

Validation and detection

  • Query mobile inventory for org.telegram.messenger version 4.8.11.
  • Review whether Telegram fingerprint lock is used for business-sensitive conversations.
  • Check MDM compliance status for rooted or tampered Android devices.
  • Confirm whether affected devices have updated beyond the reported version.
  • Track CVE and vendor references for later clarification or fixes.
Prepared
Confidence
medium
Sources
3

Public sources used

Generated from the cited source records. This long-tail analysis has not been individually reviewed by a named human.

Potential ATT&CK relevance

Conservative CVE-to-ATT&CK context

These mappings and lookup hints may be relevant to the vulnerability behavior, CWE, affected product, or exposure path. Glexia-inferred context is not an official MITRE, ATT&CK, CWE, or CVE Program mapping.

ATT&CK lookup starting points

Use these exact CWE pages and searches to review the Glexia ATT&CK library from this CVE's weakness and description context.

description · low confidence lookup

Credential and access behavior lookup

The CVE wording references authentication or credential exposure, so valid-account and credential-access review may help. This is a Glexia inferred lookup path, not an official MITRE, ATT&CK, or CVE Program mapping.

Open ATT&CK lookup
cve · low confidence lookup

CVE-2018-15543 mapping review

Open the CVE-to-ATT&CK bridge for reviewed, inferred, or future official mappings tied to this CVE.

Open ATT&CK lookup
Vulnerability profileCVE Program record
Severity
Unknown
CVSS
Not scored
Known Exploited
No
Published
Official CVE source material

CNA and ADP enrichment extracted from CVE v5

These fields come from the CVE record and ADP containers, not from Glexia's Take. They preserve time-varying source decisions such as CISA SSVC, KEV status, CVSS metrics, and provider references.

0CVSS vectors
0Timeline events
0ADP providers
2Source links

CVSS and timeline data

No CVSS vectors or timeline events were available in the normalized CVE source material.

Source materials

Affected products

Products and packages named in the record

VendorProductVersion / packageStatus
n/an/an/aListed
Weakness

CWE details

No CWE listed

CWE links open Glexia weakness intelligence pages with official CWE context, developer remediation guidance, and related CVE mappings.