Out-of-bounds write in the radio driver for Contiki-NG nRF platforms
Key facts
- Attack vector
- Adjacent network
- Privileges required
- None
- User interaction
- None
- Attack complexity
- Low
- Impact type
- —
- Confidentiality · integrity · availability
- Low · Low · High
- Fix status
- No fix listed
Attack profile from CVSS 3.1 · NVD. Fix status from CNA.
Summary
Contiki-NG is an open-source, cross-platform operating system for Next-Generation IoT devices. An out-of-bounds write exists in the driver for IEEE 802.15.4 radios on nRF platforms in the Contiki-NG operating system. The problem is triggered when parsing radio frames in the `read_frame` function in the `arch/cpu/nrf/net/nrf-ieee-driver-arch.c` module. More specifically, the `read_frame` function performs an incomplete validation of the payload length of the packet, which is a value that can be set by an external party that sends radio packets to a Contiki-NG system. Although the value is validated to be in the range of the MTU length, it is not validated to fit into the given buffer into which the packet will be copied. The problem has been patched in the "develop" branch of Contiki-NG and is expected to be included in subsequent releases. Users are advised to update their develop branch or to update to a subsequent release when available. Users unable to upgrade should consider manually applying the changes in PR #2741.
Why it matters now
SSVC decision points
CISA ADP · SSVC 2.0.3
- Exploitation
- None
- Automatable
- No
- Technical impact
- Partial
The decision (Track, Attend, Act) also depends on your mission and well-being impact; see CISA's SSVC guide.
Affected products
| Vendor | Product | Affected versions | Fixed in | Status | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| contiki-ng | contiki-ng | up to 4.9 | — | No fix listed | CNA |
- contiki-ng Vendorcontiki-ng Affected up to 4.9 Fixed in — No fix listed CNA
CPE configurations NVD · 1
| CPE | Versions | Role | Vendor |
|---|---|---|---|
| cpe:2.3:o:contiki-ng:contiki-ng:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:* | up to 4.9 | Vulnerable | contiki-ng |
- cpe:2.3:o:contiki-ng:contiki-ng:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:* Versions up to 4.9 Vulnerable ·contiki-ng
Remediation
No fixed version listed by the sources yet.
Timeline
- 2026-10-02 Threatist record created from CVE-2023-48229
References
More Contiki-ng vulnerabilities
- TI-2020-14885 An issue was discovered in Contiki through 3.0 and Contiki-NG through 4.5. CVSS 3.1CRITICAL 9.8
- TI-2020-16751 In Contiki 4.5, TCP ISNs are improperly random. CVSS 3.1CRITICAL 9.1
- TI-2018-16029 contiki-ng version 4 contains a Buffer Overflow vulnerability in AQL (Antelope Query… CVSS 3.1CRITICAL 9.8
- TI-2018-13749 An issue was discovered in the MQTT server in Contiki-NG before 4.2. CVSS 3.0CRITICAL 10.0
- TI-2023-14381 Contiki-NG has off-by-one error in Antelope DBMS CVSS 3.1CRITICAL 9.8
- TI-2023-14839 Contiki-NG missing NULL pointer check in IPv6 neighbor discovery CVSS 3.1CRITICAL 9.8
Sources
This product uses the NVD API but is not endorsed or certified by the NVD. Sources and licences