CVE-2026-8988 Vulnerability Analysis & Exploit Details

CVE-2026-8988
Vulnerability Scoring

6.8
/10
High Risk

If left unpatched, CVE-2026-8988 could lead to major system disruptions or data loss.

Attack Complexity Details

  • Attack Complexity: Low
    Exploits can be performed without significant complexity or special conditions.
  • Attack Vector: Physical
    Physical access is required to exploit this vulnerability.
  • Privileges Required: None
    No privileges are required for exploitation.
  • Scope: Unchanged
    Exploit remains within the originally vulnerable component.
  • User Interaction: None
    No user interaction is necessary for exploitation.

CVE-2026-8988 Details

Status: Analyzed

Last updated: 🕦 13 Aug 2026, 11:50 UTC
Originally published on: 🕙 21 Jul 2026, 22:19 UTC

Time between publication and last update: 22 days

CVSS Release: version 3

CVSS3 Source

nvd@nist.gov

CVSS3 Type

Primary

CVSS3 Vector

CVSS:3.1/AV:P/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

CVE-2026-8988 Vulnerability Summary

CVE-2026-8988: Autel Maxi Charger Single firmware through V1.03.51 exposes an accessible UART interface that permits interruption of the boot process and access to the U-Boot bootloader. An attacker with physical access can modify the boot configuration or file system to obtain operating system access.

Assessing the Risk of CVE-2026-8988

Access Complexity Graph

The exploitability of CVE-2026-8988 depends on two key factors: attack complexity (the level of effort required to execute an exploit) and privileges required (the access level an attacker needs).

Exploitability Analysis for CVE-2026-8988

With low attack complexity and no required privileges, CVE-2026-8988 is an easy target for cybercriminals. Organizations should prioritize immediate mitigation measures to prevent unauthorized access and data breaches.

Understanding AC and PR

A lower complexity and fewer privilege requirements make exploitation easier. Security teams should evaluate these aspects to determine the urgency of mitigation strategies, such as patch management and access control policies.

Attack Complexity (AC) measures the difficulty in executing an exploit. A high AC means that specific conditions must be met, making an attack more challenging, while a low AC means the vulnerability can be exploited with minimal effort.

Privileges Required (PR) determine the level of system access necessary for an attack. Vulnerabilities requiring no privileges are more accessible to attackers, whereas high privilege requirements limit exploitation to authorized users with elevated access.

CVSS Score Breakdown Chart

Above is the CVSS Sub-score Breakdown for CVE-2026-8988, illustrating how Base, Impact, and Exploitability factors combine to form the overall severity rating. A higher sub-score typically indicates a more severe or easier-to-exploit vulnerability.

CIA Impact Analysis

Below is the Impact Analysis for CVE-2026-8988, showing how Confidentiality, Integrity, and Availability might be affected if the vulnerability is exploited. Higher values usually signal greater potential damage.

  • Confidentiality: High
    Exploiting CVE-2026-8988 can result in unauthorized access to sensitive data, severely compromising data privacy.
  • Integrity: High
    CVE-2026-8988 could allow unauthorized modifications to data, potentially affecting system reliability and trust.
  • Availability: High
    CVE-2026-8988 can disrupt system operations, potentially causing complete denial of service (DoS).

CVE-2026-8988 References

External References

CWE Common Weakness Enumeration

CWE-1191

CAPEC Common Attack Pattern Enumeration and Classification

  • Accessing Functionality Not Properly Constrained by ACLs CAPEC-1 In applications, particularly web applications, access to functionality is mitigated by an authorization framework. This framework maps Access Control Lists (ACLs) to elements of the application's functionality; particularly URL's for web apps. In the case that the administrator failed to specify an ACL for a particular element, an attacker may be able to access it with impunity. An attacker with the ability to access functionality not properly constrained by ACLs can obtain sensitive information and possibly compromise the entire application. Such an attacker can access resources that must be available only to users at a higher privilege level, can access management sections of the application, or can run queries for data that they otherwise not supposed to.
  • Exploiting Incorrectly Configured Access Control Security Levels CAPEC-180 An attacker exploits a weakness in the configuration of access controls and is able to bypass the intended protection that these measures guard against and thereby obtain unauthorized access to the system or network. Sensitive functionality should always be protected with access controls. However configuring all but the most trivial access control systems can be very complicated and there are many opportunities for mistakes. If an attacker can learn of incorrectly configured access security settings, they may be able to exploit this in an attack.

Vulnerable Configurations

  • cpe:2.3:o:autel:maxicharger_single_charger_firmware:-:*:*:*:*:*:*:american_standard
    cpe:2.3:o:autel:maxicharger_single_charger_firmware:-:*:*:*:*:*:*:american_standard
  • cpe:2.3:o:autel:maxicharger_single_charger_firmware:-:*:*:*:*:*:*:european_standard
    cpe:2.3:o:autel:maxicharger_single_charger_firmware:-:*:*:*:*:*:*:european_standard
  • cpe:2.3:h:autel:maxicharger_single_charger:-:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
    cpe:2.3:h:autel:maxicharger_single_charger:-:*:*:*:*:*:*:*

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