CVE-2023-24819 – CVE-2023-24819 is a critical buffer overflow vu... (How to Fix)

Q: What is the severity of CVE-2023-24819?

CVE-2023-24819 has a CVSS score of 9.8 (CRITICAL). CVE-2023-24819 is a critical buffer overflow vulnerability in RIOT-OS's 6LoWPAN network stack that allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code or cause denial of service. It affects IoT devices running RIOT-OS versions before 2022.10. An attacker can exploit this by sending specially crafted 6LoWPAN frames to vulnerable devices.

📋 TL;DR

CVE-2023-24819 is a critical buffer overflow vulnerability in RIOT-OS's 6LoWPAN network stack that allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code or cause denial of service. It affects IoT devices running RIOT-OS versions before 2022.10. An attacker can exploit this by sending specially crafted 6LoWPAN frames to vulnerable devices.

💻 Affected Systems

Products:

RIOT-OS

Versions: All versions before 2022.10

Operating Systems: RIOT-OS

Default Config Vulnerable: ⚠️ Yes

Notes: Only affects systems with 6LoWPAN network stack enabled and processing fragmented IP datagrams.

📦 What is this software?

Riot by Riot Os

View all CVEs affecting Riot →

⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact

🔴

Worst Case

Remote code execution leading to complete device compromise, data exfiltration, or device becoming part of a botnet.

🟠

Likely Case

Denial of service causing device crashes and service disruption in IoT networks.

🟢

If Mitigated

No impact if patched or workarounds implemented; otherwise, full exploit potential remains.

🌐 Internet-Facing: HIGH - IoT devices often directly internet-accessible, and exploit requires no authentication.

🏢 Internal Only: MEDIUM - Still exploitable within internal networks, but requires network access to vulnerable devices.

🎯 Exploit Status

Public PoC: ✅ No

Weaponized: UNKNOWN

Unauthenticated Exploit: ⚠️ Yes

Complexity: MEDIUM

Exploitation requires crafting specific 6LoWPAN frames but no authentication. The CVSS 9.8 score indicates high exploitability.

🛠️ Fix & Mitigation

✅ Official Fix

Patch Version: 2022.10 and later

Vendor Advisory: https://github.com/RIOT-OS/RIOT/security/advisories/GHSA-fv97-2448-gcf6

Restart Required: Yes

Instructions:

1. Update RIOT-OS to version 2022.10 or later. 2. Rebuild and redeploy firmware to affected IoT devices. 3. Verify the patch is applied by checking version.

🔧 Temporary Workarounds

Disable fragmented IP datagrams

all

Prevents processing of the vulnerable 6LoWPAN frame type that triggers the overflow.

Configure RIOT-OS to disable support for fragmented IP datagrams in network stack configuration.

🧯 If You Can't Patch

Segment IoT devices on isolated network segments with strict firewall rules.
Implement network monitoring to detect anomalous 6LoWPAN traffic patterns.

🔍 How to Verify

Check if Vulnerable:

Check RIOT-OS version; if below 2022.10 and 6LoWPAN is enabled, device is vulnerable.

Check Version:

Check RIOT-OS version through device firmware or build configuration files.

Verify Fix Applied:

Confirm RIOT-OS version is 2022.10 or higher and verify the patch commits are included in the build.

📡 Detection & Monitoring

Log Indicators:

Device crashes or restarts
Memory corruption errors in system logs
Unusual network stack behavior logs

Network Indicators:

Anomalous 6LoWPAN traffic patterns
Crafted 6LoWPAN frames targeting vulnerable devices

SIEM Query:

Search for network traffic containing 6LoWPAN protocol anomalies or device crash events correlated with network activity.

📊 Metadata

CVE ID: CVE-2023-24819

CVSS v3 Score: 9.8 (CRITICAL)

CVSS Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

CWE: CWE-131

Published: April 24, 2023

Last Updated: February 4, 2025

🔗 References

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