CVE-2018-14988

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 contains an exported broadcast receiver application component that, when called, will make the device inoperable. The vulnerable component named com.android.server.SystemRestoreReceiver will write a value of --restore_system\n--locale=<localeto the /cache/recovery/command file and boot into recovery mode. During this process, it appears that when booting into recovery mode, the system partition gets formatted or modified and will be unable to boot properly thereafter. After the device wouldn't boot properly, a factory reset of the device in recovery mode does not regain properly functionality of the device. The com.android.server.SystemRestoreReceiver broadcast receiver app component is accessible to any app co-located on the device and does not require any permission to access. The user can most likely recover the device by flashing clean firmware images placed on an SD card.

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

Conclusion & alert: CVE-2018-14988 is rated Moderate Risk (53.8/100): CVSS High severity, with medium exploitation likelihood (EPSS 1.25%). Mandatory action: Review affected assets and schedule remediation.

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-2018-14988

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 0.30% 1.25% +0.95%
2 2025-03-17 0.10% 0.30% +0.20%
3 2023-03-07 0.10%

Full EPSS history (5 records total)

Common vulnerability scoring system (CVSS) metrics for CVE-2018-14988

CVSS metrics for this CVE.

Base score Version Severity Vector Exploitability Impact Score source
7.5 3.0 HIGH
CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H Click to expand
Attack vector (AV:N)
Could be attacked over the internet or any normal routed network—not just someone sitting at the machine.
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:N)
No account or special rights needed—anonymous or random user is enough.
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:N)
Data isn’t meaningfully altered or forged.
Availability (A:H)
Could take the service down hard or make it unusable for people who depend on it.
3.9 3.6 [email protected]
7.8 2.0 HIGH
AV:N/AC:L/Au:N/C:N/I:N/A:C Click to expand
Access vector (AV:N)
Can be exploited remotely over network reachability.
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:N)
No integrity impact.
Availability impact (A:C)
Complete availability impact.
10.0 6.9 [email protected]

Weakness enumeration for CVE-2018-14988

Affected software / configurations for CVE-2018-14988

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-2018-14988

cvelogic Threat Intelligence