CVE-2024-51428
📋 TL;DR
This vulnerability in Espressif's ESP-IDF framework allows attackers to send specially crafted data channel packets that cause a denial of service condition. It affects devices running ESP-IDF version 5.3.0, potentially disrupting IoT devices and embedded systems using this framework.
💻 Affected Systems
- Espressif ESP-IDF
📦 What is this software?
Esp Idf by Espressif
⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact
Worst Case
Complete system crash requiring physical reset or power cycle of affected IoT devices, leading to service disruption and potential data loss.
Likely Case
Temporary service interruption where affected devices become unresponsive until they automatically reboot or are manually restarted.
If Mitigated
Minimal impact with proper network segmentation and packet filtering preventing malicious packets from reaching vulnerable devices.
🎯 Exploit Status
Attack requires sending crafted packets to the data channel interface. No authentication needed if network access is available.
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: v5.3.1 or later
Vendor Advisory: https://github.com/espressif/esp-idf
Restart Required: Yes
Instructions:
1. Update ESP-IDF to version 5.3.1 or later using 'git checkout v5.3.1' 2. Rebuild your application with the updated framework 3. Flash the updated firmware to affected devices
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Network Packet Filtering
allImplement network filtering to block suspicious data channel packets before they reach vulnerable devices.
Disable Unused Data Channels
allIf specific data channel functionality is not required, disable it in the device configuration.
CONFIG_ESP_DATA_CHANNEL_ENABLE=n in sdkconfig
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Segment vulnerable devices on isolated network segments with strict access controls
- Implement rate limiting and anomaly detection for data channel traffic
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Check ESP-IDF version: 'git describe --tags' should show v5.3.0Check Version:
git describe --tagsVerify Fix Applied:
Verify ESP-IDF version is 5.3.1 or later: 'git describe --tags'📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- Device crash logs
- Unexpected reboots
- Data channel error messages
Network Indicators:
- Unusual data channel packet patterns
- High volume of malformed packets to device ports
SIEM Query:
source="device_logs" AND ("crash" OR "reboot" OR "data_channel_error")