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Px4 Drone Autopilot CVE-2026-26742

HIGH
Missing Authorization (CWE-862)
2026-03-10 cve@mitre.org
8.1
CVSS 3.1 · NVD
View

Attack ChainAIDerived

Hypothetical attack flow derived from CVE metadata – not a confirmed exploit chain

  1. Access
    Aircraft completes automatic landing
  2. Delivery
    Pilot switches to Manual mode within 5 seconds
  3. Exploit
    System bypasses pre-flight safety checks
  4. Execution
    Raises throttle for immediate high-thrust takeoff
  5. Impact
    Loss of aircraft control

Vulnerability Assessment

Weakness
CWE
OWASP Top 10:2025
A01:2025 - Broken Access Control
ASVS 5.0
V8 - Authorization Authorization checks on every request
MITRE ATT&CK

1 technique across 1 tactic: Privilege Escalation

The technique list with ATT&CK links and the kill-chain view is part of the Basic plan and up.

Exploitation Conditions

PX4 Autopilot versions 1.12.x through 1.15.x with default Re-arm Grace Period set to 5 seconds; attacker must have physical access to transmitter; aircraft must complete automatic landing sequence before mode switch and re-arm within grace period window

Impact

CVSS 8.1 (HIGH). Attack vector: Adjacent Network. Complexity: Low. Privileges required: None. User interaction: None. Public exploit/POC available.

Exploit ScenarioDerived

An attacker could exploit this flaw, loss of control.

This Week Schedule remediation this week. Why: HIGH severity (CVSS 7.0-8.9).
No patch listed yet 0.0% exploitation probability (EPSS)

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AnalysisAIv1 – Mar 12, 2026

PX4 Autopilot versions 1.12.x through 1.15.x can be forced into an unsafe re-arm state when pilots switch to Manual mode and re-arm within 5 seconds of landing, bypassing critical pre-flight safety checks and throttle validation. This allows attackers or malicious pilots to trigger immediate high-thrust takeoff, resulting in loss of aircraft control. Public exploit code exists for this vulnerability and no patch is currently available.

Earlier versions of this analysis (1)
v1 Mar 12, 2026 - 21:55 CVSS 8.1

PX4 Autopilot versions 1.12.x through 1.15.x contain a protection mechanism failure in the "Re-arm Grace Period" logic. The system incorrectly applies the in-air emergency re-arm logic to ground scenarios. [CVSS 8.1 HIGH]

RemediationAI

Monitor vendor advisories for a patch.

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-862 (Missing Authorization). Affects Px4 Drone Autopilot. PX4 Autopilot versions 1.12.x through 1.15.x contain a protection mechanism failure in the "Re-arm Grace Period" logic. The system incorrectly applies the in-air emergency re-arm logic to ground scenarios. If a pilot switches to Manual mode and re-arms within 5 seconds (default configuration) of an automatic landing, the system bypasses all pre-flight safety checks, including the throttle threshold check. This allows for an immediate high-thrust takeoff if the throttle stick is raised, leading t

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  • Exploit and PoC references, threat intelligence from 22 sources

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Severity by source

NVD PRIMARY 8.1 HIGH
AV:A/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:H/A:H

Primary rating from NVD · only source for this CVE.

CVSS VectorNVD

Attack Vector
Adjacent
Attack Complexity
Low
Privileges Required
None
User Interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
None
Integrity
High
Availability
High

Lifecycle Timeline

2
PoC Detected
Mar 12, 2026 - 17:05 vuln.today
Public exploit code
CVE Published
Mar 10, 2026 - 19:17 nvd
HIGH 8.1

DescriptionCVE.org

PX4 Autopilot versions 1.12.x through 1.15.x contain a protection mechanism failure in the "Re-arm Grace Period" logic. The system incorrectly applies the in-air emergency re-arm logic to ground scenarios. If a pilot switches to Manual mode and re-arms within 5 seconds (default configuration) of an automatic landing, the system bypasses all pre-flight safety checks, including the throttle threshold check. This allows for an immediate high-thrust takeoff if the throttle stick is raised, leading to loss of control.

Executive ViewAI

Why It Matters

PX4 Autopilot systems (versions 1.12.x-1.15.x) contain a critical logic flaw that could allow unauthorized re-arming of aircraft on the ground, potentially enabling unauthorized takeoff or loss of vehicle control. This affects all organizations operating unmanned aerial systems using affected PX4 versions, with immediate risk to flight safety and operational security.

Business Impact: High
Compensating Controls

Disable automated re-arm grace period feature in firmware configuration if available; implement mandatory manual re-arm authorization requiring multi-factor operator confirmation; enforce geofencing restrictions to prevent ground-based takeoffs in non-designated areas; require continuous operator supervision and implement kill-switch procedures; segregate affected systems to controlled test ranges away from populated areas; establish rigorous pre-flight safety checklists and hardware safety interlocks (propeller guards, weight-on-wheels inhibits).

Threat Intelligence Overview

EPSS Score
0.0%
Top 95% exploitable
Exploit
POC
Public exploit code exists
Data Quality
5 sources
Confidence: Medium

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.

SignalValue
Severity HIGH
CISA KEV No
Public POC Yes
EPSS 0.0%
Patch available No
Active threat No
Deciding rule
HIGH severity (CVSS 7.0-8.9)
What every action level means
Emergency Immediate action required. Criteria: CRITICAL + in CISA KEV (actively exploited) without patch, OR CRITICAL + EPSS > 30% without patch, OR CRITICAL + active threat signals without patch.
Act Now Prioritize within 24-48h. Criteria: in KEV with patch available, OR CRITICAL + public POC, OR HIGH + EPSS > 10%, OR CRITICAL + active threat, OR any CRITICAL severity.
This Week Schedule remediation this week. Criteria: HIGH severity (CVSS 7.0-8.9). Patch within normal change window.
This Month Plan within 30 days. Criteria: MEDIUM severity (CVSS 4.0-6.9), lower exploitation probability. Include in regular patch cycle.
Monitor Track and reassess. Criteria: LOW severity (CVSS 0.1-3.9), minimal exploitation risk. No immediate action needed.

SSVC AssessmentENISA

SSVC Decision· derived
Scheduled
Exploitation· derived
Poc
System Exposure· derived
Controlled
Automatable· derived
No
Human Impact
High

Priority Score

60
Low Medium High Critical
KEV: 0
EPSS: 0
CVSS: +40
PoC: +20
Weaponized: 0
Threat intel: 0
Gov advisory: 0

Attack Technique

Authentication bypass attacks exploit flaws in the verification mechanisms that control access to systems and applications.

Affected Products (CPE)CVE.org

cpe:2.3:a:dronecode:px4_drone_autopilot:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*

Related Vulnerabilities in PX4 Autopilot Logic Flaws

View all 2
CVE-2023-46256 CRITICAL POC
9.8 Oct 31

PX4-Autopilot provides PX4 flight control solution for drones. Rated critical severity (CVSS 9.8), this vulnerability is

CVE-2024-38952 HIGH POC
7.5 Jun 25

PX4-Autopilot v1.14.3 was discovered to contain a buffer overflow via the topic_name parameter at /logger/logged_topics.

CVE-2024-29460 MEDIUM POC
6.6 Apr 10

An issue in PX4 Autopilot v.1.14.0 allows an attacker to manipulate the flight path allowing for crashes of the drone vi

CVE-2024-38951 MEDIUM POC
6.5 Jun 25

A buffer overflow in PX4-Autopilot v1.12.3 allows attackers to cause a Denial of Service (DoS) via a crafted MavLink mes

CVE-2024-30800 MEDIUM POC
5.6 Apr 23

PX4 Autopilot v.1.14 allows an attacker to fly the drone into no-fly zones by breaching the geofence using flaws in the

CVE-2025-15150 MEDIUM POC
4.8 Dec 28

A stack-based buffer overflow in PX4-Autopilot (PX4 drone autopilot firmware) up to and including version 1.16.0 allows

CVE-2024-30799 MEDIUM POC
4.4 Apr 22

An issue in PX4 Autopilot v1.14 and before allows a remote attacker to execute arbitrary code and cause a denial of serv

CVE-2023-47625 MEDIUM POC
4.3 Nov 13

PX4 autopilot is a flight control solution for drones. Rated medium severity (CVSS 4.3), this vulnerability is remotely

CVE-2024-24255 MEDIUM POC
4.2 Feb 06

A Race Condition discovered in geofence.cpp and mission_feasibility_checker.cpp in PX4 Autopilot 1.14 and earlier allows

CVE-2024-24254 MEDIUM POC
4.2 Feb 06

PX4 Autopilot 1.14 and earlier, due to the lack of synchronization mechanism for loading geofence data, has a Race Condi

CVE-2024-40427 HIGH POC
7.9 Jan 07

Stack Buffer Overflow in PX4-Autopilot v1.14.3, which allows attackers to execute commands to exploit this vulnerability

References

Advisories & patches

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