CVE-2024-28115
📋 TL;DR
This CVE describes a privilege escalation vulnerability in FreeRTOS Kernel affecting ARMv7-M and ARMv8-M ports with MPU support enabled. It allows attackers to bypass memory protection mechanisms via Return Oriented Programming if they can inject and execute code locally. This affects embedded systems and IoT devices running vulnerable FreeRTOS versions.
💻 Affected Systems
- FreeRTOS Kernel
📦 What is this software?
Freertos by Amazon
⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact
Worst Case
Complete system compromise allowing attackers to execute arbitrary code with elevated privileges, potentially taking full control of affected embedded devices.
Likely Case
Local privilege escalation enabling attackers to bypass memory protection and access restricted system resources or sensitive data.
If Mitigated
Limited impact if proper network segmentation, access controls, and code execution prevention are implemented.
🎯 Exploit Status
Exploitation requires both a separate vulnerability allowing code injection/execution AND the ability to perform Return Oriented Programming attacks against the MPU protection mechanisms.
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: 10.6.2
Vendor Advisory: https://github.com/FreeRTOS/FreeRTOS-Kernel/security/advisories/GHSA-xcv7-v92w-gq6r
Restart Required: Yes
Instructions:
1. Download FreeRTOS Kernel version 10.6.2 or later from the official repository. 2. Replace the vulnerable kernel files with the patched version. 3. Recompile your application with the updated kernel. 4. Deploy the updated firmware to affected devices. 5. Verify the update was successful.
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Disable MPU Support
allSet configENABLE_MPU to 0 to disable Memory Protection Unit support, which mitigates the vulnerability but reduces memory protection capabilities.
# In FreeRTOSConfig.h, set: #define configENABLE_MPU 0
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Implement strict access controls to prevent unauthorized local code execution on affected devices.
- Deploy network segmentation to isolate vulnerable devices from critical systems and limit potential lateral movement.
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Check FreeRTOS Kernel version and verify configENABLE_MPU is set to 1 in FreeRTOSConfig.h. Also verify the device uses ARMv7-M or ARMv8-M architecture with MPU support.Check Version:
# Check FreeRTOS version in source code: grep -r "tskKERNEL_VERSION_NUMBER" .Verify Fix Applied:
Verify the FreeRTOS Kernel version is 10.6.2 or later and that the new MPU wrapper implementation is present in the codebase.📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- Unexpected privilege escalation attempts
- Memory protection violation alerts
- Unauthorized code execution attempts
Network Indicators:
- Unusual outbound connections from embedded devices
- Anomalous traffic patterns from IoT devices
SIEM Query:
device_type:embedded OR device_type:iot AND (event_type:privilege_escalation OR event_type:memory_violation)