CVE-2021-34125
📋 TL;DR
This vulnerability allows attackers to execute NuttX commands on Yuneec Mantis Q drones and PX4-Autopilot systems, potentially exposing sensitive information. It affects systems running PX4-Autopilot v1.11.3 and below. Drone operators and developers using these systems are at risk.
💻 Affected Systems
- Yuneec Mantis Q
- PX4-Autopilot
📦 What is this software?
⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact
Worst Case
Complete drone takeover, flight control compromise, or extraction of sensitive configuration data leading to physical safety risks.
Likely Case
Information disclosure of system configuration, telemetry data, or authentication credentials.
If Mitigated
Limited impact with proper network segmentation and access controls preventing unauthorized command execution.
🎯 Exploit Status
Exploitation requires ability to execute NuttX commands on the target system. Public references show technical details.
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: PX4-Autopilot v1.12.0 and above
Vendor Advisory: https://github.com/PX4/PX4-Autopilot/security/advisories
Restart Required: Yes
Instructions:
1. Update PX4-Autopilot to v1.12.0 or later. 2. Update NuttX to patched versions. 3. Rebuild and redeploy firmware. 4. Restart affected drone systems.
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Restrict Command Access
allLimit access to NuttX command interfaces and disable unnecessary services.
# Review and disable unnecessary NuttX services
# Implement access controls for command execution interfaces
Network Segmentation
allIsolate drone control networks from untrusted networks.
# Configure firewall rules to restrict drone network access
# Implement VLAN segmentation for drone systems
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Implement strict network access controls to prevent unauthorized access to drone systems.
- Monitor for unusual command execution patterns and implement logging for all NuttX command activity.
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Check PX4-Autopilot version and review if vulnerable NuttX command implementations are present.Check Version:
px4-version or check PX4 firmware version in system logsVerify Fix Applied:
Verify PX4-Autopilot version is v1.12.0 or later and check for patched NuttX commits in the codebase.📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- Unusual NuttX command execution patterns
- Unauthorized access attempts to command interfaces
Network Indicators:
- Unexpected connections to drone command ports
- Anomalous network traffic to/from drone systems
SIEM Query:
source="drone_logs" AND (command="nsh" OR command="nuttx") AND user!=authorized_user🔗 References
- https://gist.github.com/swkim101/f473b9a60e6d4635268402a2cd2025ac
- https://github.com/PX4/PX4-Autopilot/issues/17062
- https://github.com/PX4/PX4-Autopilot/pull/17264/commits/555f900cf52c0057e4c429ff3699c91911a21cab
- https://github.com/apache/incubator-nuttx-apps/pull/647/commits/2fc1157f8585acc39f13a31612ebf890f41e76ca
- https://github.com/apache/incubator-nuttx/pull/3292/commits/016873788280ca815ba886195535bbe601de6e48
- https://nuttx.apache.org/
- https://nuttx.apache.org/docs/latest/applications/nsh/commands.html#access-memory-mb-mh-and-mw
- https://www.st.com/resource/en/application_note/dm00493651-introduction-to-stm32-microcontrollers-security-stmicroelectronics.pdf
- https://gist.github.com/swkim101/f473b9a60e6d4635268402a2cd2025ac
- https://github.com/PX4/PX4-Autopilot/issues/17062
- https://github.com/PX4/PX4-Autopilot/pull/17264/commits/555f900cf52c0057e4c429ff3699c91911a21cab
- https://github.com/apache/incubator-nuttx-apps/pull/647/commits/2fc1157f8585acc39f13a31612ebf890f41e76ca
- https://github.com/apache/incubator-nuttx/pull/3292/commits/016873788280ca815ba886195535bbe601de6e48
- https://nuttx.apache.org/
- https://nuttx.apache.org/docs/latest/applications/nsh/commands.html#access-memory-mb-mh-and-mw
- https://www.st.com/resource/en/application_note/dm00493651-introduction-to-stm32-microcontrollers-security-stmicroelectronics.pdf
