CVE-2025-11616
📋 TL;DR
A missing validation check in FreeRTOS-Plus-TCP's ICMPv6 packet processing code can cause an out-of-bounds read when receiving malformed ICMPv6 packets. This vulnerability affects only applications using IPv6 and could lead to information disclosure or system instability. Users of FreeRTOS-Plus-TCP with IPv6 enabled are impacted.
💻 Affected Systems
- FreeRTOS-Plus-TCP
📦 What is this software?
⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact
Worst Case
Information disclosure through memory leaks, potential denial of service through system crashes, or remote code execution if combined with other vulnerabilities.
Likely Case
System instability, crashes, or information disclosure through memory leaks when processing malformed ICMPv6 packets.
If Mitigated
Minimal impact with proper network segmentation and packet filtering in place.
🎯 Exploit Status
Exploitation requires sending specially crafted ICMPv6 packets to vulnerable systems with IPv6 enabled.
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: V4.3.4
Vendor Advisory: https://github.com/FreeRTOS/FreeRTOS-Plus-TCP/security/advisories/GHSA-8j9h-xjm9-8j6j
Restart Required: No
Instructions:
1. Download FreeRTOS-Plus-TCP V4.3.4 or later from the official repository. 2. Replace the existing FreeRTOS-Plus-TCP source files with the patched version. 3. Recompile and redeploy your application. 4. Verify the fix by checking the version.
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Disable IPv6
allDisable IPv6 functionality in FreeRTOS-Plus-TCP configuration if not required.
Set ipconfigUSE_IPv6 to 0 in FreeRTOSIPConfig.h
Network Filtering
allBlock or filter ICMPv6 packets at network perimeter devices.
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Disable IPv6 functionality in FreeRTOS-Plus-TCP configuration
- Implement network segmentation to isolate vulnerable devices
- Deploy network intrusion detection systems to monitor for ICMPv6 anomalies
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Check if FreeRTOS-Plus-TCP version is below V4.3.4 and IPv6 is enabled in configuration.Check Version:
Check the FreeRTOS-Plus-TCP source code version identifiers or build configuration.Verify Fix Applied:
Verify the FreeRTOS-Plus-TCP version is V4.3.4 or later and test with ICMPv6 packet processing.📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- System crashes, memory access violations, or abnormal ICMPv6 packet processing logs
Network Indicators:
- Unusual ICMPv6 traffic patterns, malformed ICMPv6 packets targeting devices
SIEM Query:
Search for ICMPv6 packet anomalies or system crashes related to network processing