TinyOS <= 2.1.2 Global Buffer Overflow in printfUART
Key facts
- Attack vector
- Local
- Privileges required
- None
- User interaction
- None
- Attack complexity
- Low
- Attack requirements
- None
- Impact type
- —
- Confidentiality · integrity · availability
- None · None · Low
- Fix status
- No fix listed
Attack profile from CVSS 4.0 · CNA. Fix status from CNA.
Summary
TinyOS versions up to and including 2.1.2 contain a global buffer overflow vulnerability in the printfUART formatted output implementation used within the ZigBee / IEEE 802.15.4 networking stack. The implementation formats output into a fixed-size global buffer and concatenates strings for %s format specifiers using strcat() without verifying remaining buffer capacity. When printfUART is invoked with a caller-controlled string longer than the available space, the unbounded sprintf/strcat sequence writes past the end of debugbuf, resulting in global memory corruption. This can cause denial of service, unintended behavior, or information disclosure via corrupted adjacent global state or UART output.
Why it matters now
SSVC decision points
CISA ADP · SSVC 2.0.3
- Exploitation
- Poc
- 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
Remediation
No fixed version listed by the sources yet.
Timeline
- 2026-10-02 Threatist record created from CVE-2026-22211
- 2026-10-03 Alias added: GHSA-hwxm-rgw2-8633
References
More TinyOS vulnerabilities
- TI-2026-17822 TinyOS <= 2.1.2 Stack-Based Buffer Overflow in mcp2200gpio CVSS 4.0MEDIUM 4.8
Sources
- CVE-2026-22211 · CVE Program
- CVE-2026-22211 · NVD
- FIRST EPSS
- GHSA-hwxm-rgw2-8633 · GitHub Advisory Database · CC BY 4.0
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