{"dataType": "CVE_RECORD", "dataVersion": "5.2", "cveMetadata": {"cveId": "CVE-2026-15891", "assignerOrgId": "e2e69745-5e70-4e92-8431-deb5529a81ad", "state": "PUBLISHED", "assignerShortName": "zephyr", "dateReserved": "2026-07-15T17:38:07.683Z", "datePublished": "2026-09-13T22:46:15.222Z", "dateUpdated": "2026-09-13T22:46:15.222Z"}, "containers": {"cna": {"providerMetadata": {"orgId": "e2e69745-5e70-4e92-8431-deb5529a81ad", "shortName": "zephyr", "dateUpdated": "2026-09-13T22:46:15.222Z"}, "title": "NULL pointer dereference in Zephyr MQTT-SN client when removing a non-responsive gateway", "descriptions": [{"lang": "en", "value": "The MQTT-SN client keepalive handler process_ping() in subsys/net/lib/mqtt_sn/mqtt_sn.c removes the gateway record after PINGREQ retries are exhausted. It invoked SYS_SLIST_PEEK_HEAD_CONTAINER(&client->gateways, gw, next) but discarded the result. That macro is a pure expression that does not assign to gw, so gw retained its NULL initializer regardless of the list contents.\n\nThe code then dereferences the NULL gw (gw->gw_id) and passes it to mqtt_sn_gw_destroy(), reaching k_mem_slab_free(&gateways, NULL). With CONFIG_MEM_SLAB_POINTER_VALIDATE enabled this triggers k_panic(); in the default configuration it performs a write through the NULL pointer ((char )mem = slab->free_list;) and corrupts the slab free list. The outcome is a crash/kernel panic or, on targets where address 0 is writable, silent memory-allocator corruption.\n\nThe vulnerable branch runs whenever the connected MQTT-SN gateway fails to answer keepalive PINGREQs for the configured number of retries. This condition is controlled by the remote peer: a malicious or compromised gateway, or an on-path/adjacent attacker that advertises itself as a gateway and then stops responding (or blackholes the real gateway's PINGRESPs), forces the client into the defect. MQTT-SN runs over UDP and no authentication is required.\n\nThe impact is a remotely triggerable denial of service (availability) of the affected MQTT-SN client; there is no attacker-controlled data written. The sibling remover process_advertise() uses SYS_SLIST_FOR_EACH_CONTAINER_SAFE and is not affected. The fix assigns the macro's return value to gw."}], "affected": [{"vendor": "zephyrproject", "product": "zephyr", "collectionURL": "https://github.com/zephyrproject-rtos/zephyr", "packageName": "zephyr", "defaultStatus": "unaffected", "programFiles": ["subsys/net/lib/mqtt_sn/mqtt_sn.c"], "programRoutines": [{"name": "process_ping"}], "versions": [{"version": "4.1.0", "status": "affected", "versionType": "semver", "lessThan": "4.4.2"}]}], "references": [{"url": "https://github.com/zephyrproject-rtos/zephyr/commit/bd21e954c36be105a374bbc090623810f1a17ee3", "name": "Fix commit", "tags": ["patch"]}, {"url": "https://github.com/zephyrproject-rtos/zephyr/security/advisories/GHSA-c4g8-4f9p-4746", "name": "GHSA-c4g8-4f9p-4746"}], "metrics": [{"format": "CVSS", "cvssV3_1": {"version": "3.1", "vectorString": "CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H", "baseScore": 7.5, "baseSeverity": "HIGH"}}], "problemTypes": [{"descriptions": [{"lang": "en", "description": "memory-safety", "cweId": "CWE-476", "type": "CWE"}]}], "x_generator": {"engine": "cvelib 1.8.0"}}}}

{}

{"affected": [{"affectedData": [{"collectionURL": "https://github.com/zephyrproject-rtos/zephyr", "defaultStatus": "unaffected", "packageName": "zephyr", "product": "zephyr", "programFiles": ["subsys/net/lib/mqtt_sn/mqtt_sn.c"], "programRoutines": [{"name": "process_ping"}], "vendor": "zephyrproject", "versions": [{"lessThan": "4.4.2", "status": "affected", "version": "4.1.0", "versionType": "semver"}]}], "source": "vulnerabilities@zephyrproject.org"}], "cveTags": [], "descriptions": [{"lang": "en", "value": "The MQTT-SN client keepalive handler process_ping() in subsys/net/lib/mqtt_sn/mqtt_sn.c removes the gateway record after PINGREQ retries are exhausted. It invoked SYS_SLIST_PEEK_HEAD_CONTAINER(&client->gateways, gw, next) but discarded the result. That macro is a pure expression that does not assign to gw, so gw retained its NULL initializer regardless of the list contents.\n\nThe code then dereferences the NULL gw (gw->gw_id) and passes it to mqtt_sn_gw_destroy(), reaching k_mem_slab_free(&gateways, NULL). With CONFIG_MEM_SLAB_POINTER_VALIDATE enabled this triggers k_panic(); in the default configuration it performs a write through the NULL pointer ((char )mem = slab->free_list;) and corrupts the slab free list. The outcome is a crash/kernel panic or, on targets where address 0 is writable, silent memory-allocator corruption.\n\nThe vulnerable branch runs whenever the connected MQTT-SN gateway fails to answer keepalive PINGREQs for the configured number of retries. This condition is controlled by the remote peer: a malicious or compromised gateway, or an on-path/adjacent attacker that advertises itself as a gateway and then stops responding (or blackholes the real gateway's PINGRESPs), forces the client into the defect. MQTT-SN runs over UDP and no authentication is required.\n\nThe impact is a remotely triggerable denial of service (availability) of the affected MQTT-SN client; there is no attacker-controlled data written. The sibling remover process_advertise() uses SYS_SLIST_FOR_EACH_CONTAINER_SAFE and is not affected. The fix assigns the macro's return value to gw."}], "id": "CVE-2026-15891", "lastModified": "2026-09-13T23:16:27.870", "metrics": {"cvssMetricV31": [{"cvssData": {"attackComplexity": "LOW", "attackVector": "NETWORK", "availabilityImpact": "HIGH", "baseScore": 7.5, "baseSeverity": "HIGH", "confidentialityImpact": "NONE", "integrityImpact": "NONE", "privilegesRequired": "NONE", "scope": "UNCHANGED", "userInteraction": "NONE", "vectorString": "CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H", "version": "3.1"}, "exploitabilityScore": 3.9, "impactScore": 3.6, "source": "vulnerabilities@zephyrproject.org", "type": "Secondary"}]}, "published": "2026-09-13T23:16:27.870", "references": [{"source": "vulnerabilities@zephyrproject.org", "url": "https://github.com/zephyrproject-rtos/zephyr/commit/bd21e954c36be105a374bbc090623810f1a17ee3"}, {"source": "vulnerabilities@zephyrproject.org", "url": "https://github.com/zephyrproject-rtos/zephyr/security/advisories/GHSA-c4g8-4f9p-4746"}], "sourceIdentifier": "vulnerabilities@zephyrproject.org", "vulnStatus": "Received", "weaknesses": [{"description": [{"lang": "en", "value": "CWE-476"}], "source": "vulnerabilities@zephyrproject.org", "type": "Secondary"}]}

{}

{}