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OpenAdvisories
Low · 1.7 CVE-2026-23833 EUVD-2026-3306GHSA-4h3h-63v6-88qxPYSEC-2026-1326

ESPHome vulnerable to denial-of-service via out-of-bounds check bypass in the API component

Published Jan 19, 2026 · Updated Jan 20, 2026 · Assigned by GitHub_M

Description

ESPHome is a system to control microcontrollers remotely through Home Automation systems. In versions 2025.9.0 through 2025.12.6, an integer overflow in the API component's protobuf decoder allows denial-of-service attacks when API encryption is not used. The bounds check `ptr + field_length > end` in `components/api/proto.cpp` can overflow when a malicious client sends a large `field_length` value. This affects all ESPHome device platforms (ESP32, ESP8266, RP2040, LibreTiny). The overflow bypasses the out-of-bounds check, causing the device to read invalid memory and crash. When using the plaintext API protocol, this attack can be performed without authentication. When noise encryption is enabled, knowledge of the encryption key is required. Users should upgrade to ESPHome 2025.12.7 or later to receive a patch, enable API encryption with a unique key per device, and follow the Security Best Practices.

Affected products

VendorProductAffectedFixed
esphome esphome >= 2025.9.0, < 2025.12.7 —

Affected packages

EcosystemPackageAffectedFixedRecord
PyPI esphome >= 2025.9.0, < 2025.12.7 2025.12.7 GHSA-4h3h-63v6-88qx

References