CVE-2023-24817
📋 TL;DR
CVE-2023-24817 is an integer underflow vulnerability in RIOT-OS's 6LoWPAN network stack that allows attackers to send crafted frames causing out-of-bounds memory access. This can corrupt packet buffers or allocator metadata, potentially leading to denial of service. IoT devices running vulnerable versions of RIOT-OS are affected.
💻 Affected Systems
- RIOT-OS
📦 What is this software?
Riot by Riot Os
⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact
Worst Case
Complete device crash or persistent denial of service through memory corruption, potentially allowing remote code execution if combined with other vulnerabilities.
Likely Case
Denial of service through device crashes or instability, disrupting IoT device functionality.
If Mitigated
Minimal impact if SRH is disabled or devices are patched, with only legitimate 6LoWPAN traffic processed.
🎯 Exploit Status
Exploitation requires crafting specific 6LoWPAN frames and timing to trigger memory corruption.
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: 2023.04
Vendor Advisory: https://github.com/RIOT-OS/RIOT/security/advisories/GHSA-xjgw-7638-29g5
Restart Required: Yes
Instructions:
1. Update RIOT-OS to version 2023.04 or later. 2. Recompile and redeploy firmware to affected IoT devices. 3. Restart devices to apply the patch.
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Disable SRH in network stack
allDisables Source Routing Header processing in the 6LoWPAN stack to prevent exploitation.
Configure RIOT-OS network stack with SRH disabled (specific configuration depends on device implementation)
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Segment IoT devices on isolated network segments to limit attack surface.
- Implement network filtering to block suspicious 6LoWPAN traffic at perimeter devices.
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Check RIOT-OS version on device: if version is earlier than 2023.04 and uses 6LoWPAN with SRH enabled, device is vulnerable.Check Version:
Check RIOT-OS build configuration or firmware version string (device-specific)Verify Fix Applied:
Verify RIOT-OS version is 2023.04 or later and test 6LoWPAN functionality remains operational.📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- Unexpected device crashes or reboots
- Memory allocation errors in system logs
- Network stack error messages
Network Indicators:
- Unusual 6LoWPAN traffic patterns
- Malformed 6LoWPAN frames with crafted SRH headers
SIEM Query:
Search for: 'RIOT-OS crash' OR 'memory corruption' OR '6LoWPAN error' in device logs🔗 References
- https://github.com/RIOT-OS/RIOT/commit/34dc1757f5621be48e226cfebb2f4c63505b5360
- https://github.com/RIOT-OS/RIOT/security/advisories/GHSA-xjgw-7638-29g5
- https://github.com/RIOT-OS/RIOT/commit/34dc1757f5621be48e226cfebb2f4c63505b5360
- https://github.com/RIOT-OS/RIOT/security/advisories/GHSA-xjgw-7638-29g5
