Free5gc
CVE-2026-25501
HIGH
Attack ChainAIDerived
Hypothetical attack flow derived from CVE metadata – not a confirmed exploit chain
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AccessCraft malformed PFCP SessionReportRequest
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ExploitSend UDP packet to SMF port 8805
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ExecutionTrigger nil pointer dereference
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ImpactSMF process crashes
Vulnerability Assessment
| Weakness |
CWE
OWASP Top 10:2025
A10:2025 - Mishandling of Exceptional Conditions
ASVS 5.0
V16 - Security Logging and Error Handling Null pointer safety, defensive checks
MITRE ATT&CK
1 technique across 1 tactic: Impact The technique list with ATT&CK links and the kill-chain view is part of the Basic plan and up. |
| Exploitation Conditions | free5GC SMF versions up to 1.4.1 with PFCP interface exposed on UDP port 8805 to network attackers. No authentication required on PFCP interface. |
| Impact | CVSS 7.5 (HIGH). Attack vector: Network. Complexity: Low. Privileges required: None. User interaction: None. Exploitable via remote/network. Public exploit/POC available. |
| Exploit ScenarioDerived | A remote attacker could exploit this vulnerability to compromise the affected system. |
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Alert meAnalysisAIv1 – Mar 12, 2026
free5GC SMF versions up to 1.4.1 crash when processing malformed PFCP SessionReportRequest messages on the PFCP interface, allowing unauthenticated remote attackers to cause denial of service via nil pointer dereference. Public exploit code exists for this vulnerability and no upstream patch is currently available. Network operators should restrict PFCP interface access to trusted UPF sources and consider implementing message validation at network boundaries.
Earlier versions of this analysis (1)
free5GC SMF provides Session Management Function for free5GC, an open-source project for 5th generation (5G) mobile core networks. In versions up to and including 1.4.1, SMF panics due to nil pointer dereference and the SMF process terminates. [CVSS 7.5 HIGH]
RemediationAI
Monitor vendor advisories for a patch. Restrict network access to the affected service where possible.
Affects your stack
Find out whether the stacks and servers you run are on an affected version.
Checking this CVE against your own stacks and servers is part of the Basic plan and up.
Technical ContextAI · show details
Classified as CWE-476 (NULL Pointer Dereference). Affects Smf. free5GC SMF provides Session Management Function for free5GC, an open-source project for 5th generation (5G) mobile core networks. In versions up to and including 1.4.1, SMF panics due to nil pointer dereference and the SMF process terminates. This is triggered by a malformed PFCP SessionReportRequest on the SMF PFCP (UDP/8805) interface. No known upstream fix is available, but some workarounds are available. ACL/firewall the PFCP interface so only trusted UPF IPs can reach SMF (reduce spoofing/
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- Exploit and PoC references, threat intelligence from 22 sources
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Severity by source
AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H
Primary rating from GitHub Advisory · only source for this CVE.
CVSS VectorGitHub Advisory
Lifecycle Timeline
2DescriptionGitHub Advisory
free5GC SMF provides Session Management Function for free5GC, an open-source project for 5th generation (5G) mobile core networks. In versions up to and including 1.4.1, SMF panics due to nil pointer dereference and the SMF process terminates. This is triggered by a malformed PFCP SessionReportRequest on the SMF PFCP (UDP/8805) interface. No known upstream fix is available, but some workarounds are available. ACL/firewall the PFCP interface so only trusted UPF IPs can reach SMF (reduce spoofing/abuse surface); drop/inspect malformed PFCP SessionReportRequest messages at the network edge where feasible, and/or add recover() around PFCP handler dispatch to avoid whole-process termination (mitigation only).
Executive ViewAI
A denial-of-service vulnerability in free5GC SMF (versions ≤1.4.1) causes the session management process to crash when triggered, disrupting 5G core network operations. Organizations running affected free5GC deployments risk service interruptions affecting mobile subscribers and network availability, with no vendor patch currently available.
Implement network access controls restricting SMF connectivity to authorized signaling nodes only; deploy process monitoring with automatic restart capabilities; enable verbose SMF logging to detect exploitation attempts; maintain hot-standby SMF instances for rapid failover; consider rate-limiting on N1/N2 interface handlers to reduce trigger frequency; isolate test/non-production free5GC instances from production networks until patched.
Threat Intelligence Overview
NVD
CVE.org
EPSS
GitHub
How this decision was reached
The engine reads each signal below and applies a fixed list of rules from top to bottom. The first rule that matches sets the recommended action – like a statement, every line is shown.
What every action level means
SSVC AssessmentENISA
Priority Score
Affected Products (CPE)GitHub Advisory
Free5gc NRF 1.4.0 has an authorization bypass in access token generation that allows authenticated users to request toke
free5gc UDM provides Unified Data Management (UDM) for free5GC, an open-source project for 5th generation (5G) mobile co
free5GC is an open-source project for 5th generation (5G) mobile core networks. Versions up to and including 1.4.1 of fr
An improper input validation and protocol compliance vulnerability in free5GC v4.0.1 allows remote attackers to cause a
free5GC is an open-source project for 5th generation (5G) mobile core networks. free5GC go-upf versions up to and includ
free5GC go-upf is the User Plane Function (UPF) implementation for 5G networks that is part of the free5GC project. Vers
An array index out of bounds vulnerability in the AMF component of free5GC v4.0.1 allows remote attackers to cause a den
A heap buffer overflow vulnerability in the UPF component of free5GC v4.0.1 allows remote attackers to cause a denial of
free5gc UDM provides Unified Data Management (UDM) for free5GC, an open-source project for 5th generation (5G) mobile co
Remote attackers can inject control characters into the SUPI parameter of free5GC UDM versions up to 1.4.1, causing URL
free5GC SMF versions up to 1.4.1 crash when receiving malformed PFCP SessionReportRequest packets on UDP port 8805, allo
free5GC SMF versions up to 1.4.1 crash when processing malformed PFCP SessionReportRequest messages on the UDP/8805 inte
Exploit-DB