CVE-2024-22905 – A buffer overflow vulnerability in ARM mbed-os ... (How to Fix)

Q: What is the severity of CVE-2024-22905?

CVE-2024-22905 has a CVSS score of 7.0 (HIGH). A buffer overflow vulnerability in ARM mbed-os v6.17.0 allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code via crafted scripts targeting the hciTrSerialRxIncoming function. This affects devices using mbed-os with BLE connectivity enabled, potentially leading to complete system compromise.

📋 TL;DR

A buffer overflow vulnerability in ARM mbed-os v6.17.0 allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code via crafted scripts targeting the hciTrSerialRxIncoming function. This affects devices using mbed-os with BLE connectivity enabled, potentially leading to complete system compromise.

💻 Affected Systems

Products:

ARM mbed-os

Versions: Version 6.17.0 specifically

Operating Systems: Any OS running mbed-os (commonly embedded Linux, RTOS)

Default Config Vulnerable: ⚠️ Yes

Notes: Requires FEATURE_BLE connectivity enabled. Embedded/IoT devices using mbed-os with BLE functionality are primarily affected.

📦 What is this software?

Mbed Os by Arm

View all CVEs affecting Mbed Os →

⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact

🔴

Worst Case

Remote code execution leading to full device compromise, data exfiltration, and persistence on affected systems.

🟠

Likely Case

Denial of service or limited code execution depending on exploit sophistication and system protections.

🟢

If Mitigated

Limited impact if proper memory protections (ASLR, DEP) are enabled and network segmentation is implemented.

🌐 Internet-Facing: MEDIUM - Requires BLE connectivity and specific crafted input, but remote exploitation is possible.

🏢 Internal Only: MEDIUM - Internal network devices with BLE enabled remain vulnerable to adjacent network attacks.

🎯 Exploit Status

Public PoC: ✅ No

Weaponized: UNKNOWN

Unauthenticated Exploit: ⚠️ Yes

Complexity: MEDIUM

Exploitation requires crafting specific BLE HCI packets. No public exploit code identified in references.

🛠️ Fix & Mitigation

✅ Official Fix

Patch Version: Version 6.17.1 or later

Vendor Advisory: https://github.com/ARMmbed/mbed-os/issues/15462

Restart Required: Yes

Instructions:

1. Update mbed-os to version 6.17.1 or later. 2. Rebuild your application with the updated mbed-os library. 3. Deploy the updated firmware to affected devices. 4. Restart devices to apply changes.

🔧 Temporary Workarounds

Disable BLE Feature

all

Temporarily disable BLE connectivity if not required, removing the attack surface.

Modify mbed_app.json to set "target.features_add": ["BLE"] to false or remove BLE from build configuration

Network Segmentation

all

Isolate devices with BLE functionality from critical networks.

🧯 If You Can't Patch

Implement strict network segmentation to isolate vulnerable devices
Enable memory protection features (ASLR, DEP/W^X) if supported by hardware

🔍 How to Verify

Check if Vulnerable:

Check mbed-os version in your project configuration or build files. If version is exactly 6.17.0 and BLE is enabled, you are vulnerable.

Check Version:

Check mbed-os version in mbed-os.lib file or run: grep -r "MBED_OS_VERSION" in your project directory

Verify Fix Applied:

Verify mbed-os version is 6.17.1 or later and rebuild/redeploy application.

📡 Detection & Monitoring

Log Indicators:

Unexpected device crashes or restarts
Abnormal BLE HCI packet sizes in logs
Memory corruption errors

Network Indicators:

Unusual BLE traffic patterns
Malformed HCI packets exceeding normal size limits

SIEM Query:

device_logs WHERE (message CONTAINS "hciTrSerialRxIncoming" OR message CONTAINS "buffer overflow") AND severity IN ("ERROR", "CRITICAL")

📊 Metadata

CVE ID: CVE-2024-22905

CVSS v3 Score: 7.0 (HIGH)

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

CWE: CWE-120

Published: April 19, 2024

Last Updated: September 15, 2025

🔗 References

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