Description
RIOT OS versions up to and including 2026.01-devel-317 contain a stack-based buffer overflow vulnerability in the ethos utility due to missing bounds checking when processing incoming serial frame data. The vulnerability occurs in the _handle_char() function, where incoming frame bytes are appended to a fixed-size stack buffer without verifying that the current write index remains within bounds. An attacker capable of sending crafted serial or TCP-framed input can cause the current write index to exceed the buffer size, resulting in a write past the end of the stack buffer. This condition leads to memory corruption and application crash.
Affected products
| Vendor | Product | Affected | Fixed |
|---|---|---|---|
| RIOT | RIOT OS | ≤ 2026.01-devel-317 | — |
References
- https://seclists.org/fulldisclosure/2026/Jan/16 technical-description exploit
- https://www.riot-os.org/ product
- https://github.com/RIOT-OS/RIOT product
- https://www.vulncheck.com/advisories/riot-os-stack-based-buffer-overflow-in-ethos-serial-frame-parser third-party-advisory