CVE-2018-14987

The MXQ TV Box 4.4.2 Android device with a build fingerprint of MBX/m201_N/m201_N:4.4.2/KOT49H/20160106:user/test-keys contains the Android framework with a package name of android (versionCode=19, versionName=4.4.2-20170213) that dynamically registers a broadcast receiver app component named com.android.server.MasterClearReceiver instead of statically registering it in the AndroidManifest.xml file of the core Android package, as done in Android Open Source Project (AOSP) code for Android 4.4.2. The dynamic-registration of the MasterClearReceiver broadcast receiver app component is not protected with the android.permission.MASTER_CLEAR permission during registration, so any app co-located on the device, even those without any permissions, can programmatically initiate a factory reset of the device. A factory reset will remove all user data and apps from the device. This will result in the loss of any data that have not been backed up or synced externally. The capability to perform a factory reset is not directly available to third-party apps (those that the user installs themselves with the exception of enabled Mobile Device Management (MDM) apps), although this capability can be obtained by leveraging an unprotected app component of core Android process.

Published: 2018-12-28 Last update: 2026-06-16 Assigner: [email protected] Source: [email protected]

Conclusion & alert: CVE-2018-14987 is rated Low Risk (35.6/100): CVSS High severity, with low exploitation likelihood (EPSS 0.28%). Mandatory action: Monitor for updates and reassess as exploit intelligence or EPSS changes.

Risk is dynamic; we continuously reassess and refresh what is shown on this page as upstream context changes.

Exploit prediction scoring system (EPSS) score for CVE-2018-14987

EPSS lead: Daily EPSS estimates relative likelihood of exploitation; percentile ranks this CVE among scored vulnerabilities (higher = more severe relative rank).

# Date Old EPSS score New EPSS score Delta (New - Old)
1 2026-06-15 0.04% 0.28% +0.24%
2 2023-03-07 0.89% 0.04% -0.84%
3 2022-02-04 0.89%

Full EPSS history (4 records total)

Common vulnerability scoring system (CVSS) metrics for CVE-2018-14987

CVSS metrics for this CVE.

Base score Version Severity Vector Exploitability Impact Score source
7.1 3.0 HIGH
CVSS:3.0/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:H/A:H Click to expand
Attack vector (AV:L)
They already need access on the box, or another person has to do something wrong; it’s not a remote drive-by.
Attack complexity (AC:L)
Once they can reach the bug, pulling it off is straightforward—no weird race conditions or rare setup.
Privileges required (PR:L)
A normal user session is enough; they don’t have to be admin.
User interaction (UI:N)
Nobody has to click “OK” or open a trap file; it can work without a victim helping.
Scope (S:U)
Damage stays in the same “trust bubble” as the broken component—no big spill into unrelated systems.
Confidentiality (C:N)
Doesn’t really leak secrets in a meaningful way.
Integrity (I:H)
They could widely tamper with or forge data—trust in the data is badly hurt.
Availability (A:H)
Could take the service down hard or make it unusable for people who depend on it.
1.8 5.2 [email protected]
5.6 2.0 MEDIUM
AV:L/AC:L/Au:N/C:N/I:P/A:C Click to expand
Access vector (AV:L)
Requires local access to the target system.
Access complexity (AC:L)
Exploitation conditions are straightforward and predictable.
Authentication (AU:N)
No authentication is required.
Confidentiality impact (C:N)
No confidentiality impact.
Integrity impact (I:P)
Partial integrity impact.
Availability impact (A:C)
Complete availability impact.
3.9 7.8 [email protected]

Weakness enumeration for CVE-2018-14987

Affected software / configurations for CVE-2018-14987

Vendor Product Version Raw CPE
mxq_project mxq_tv_box_firmware 4.4.2 cpe:2.3:o:mxq_project:mxq_tv_box_firmware:4.4.2:*:*:*:*:*:*:*

References for CVE-2018-14987

cvelogic Threat Intelligence