Zephyr RTOS
CVE-2026-7656
HIGH
Severity by source
AV:A/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:H/A:H
Adjacent, no-auth, low-complexity ND injection yields high integrity/availability impact; C raised from N to L because router/DNS redirection enables MITM interception.
Primary rating from Vendor (zephyr).
CVSS VectorVendor: zephyr
CVSS:3.1/AV:A/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:H/A:H
Lifecycle Timeline
1DescriptionCVE.org
The IPv6 Neighbor Discovery handlers in subsys/net/ip/ipv6_nbr.c (handle_ra_input, handle_ns_input, handle_na_input) used an incorrect boolean expression that combined the RFC 4861 validity checks with the ICMPv6 code check using the wrong operator precedence: the form was '((length/hop/source/target checks) && (icmp_hdr-code != 0))'. Because every legitimate ND message carries ICMPv6 code 0, an attacker setting code 0 (the normal value) caused the entire predicate to evaluate false, so the packet was never dropped and all of the other checks were silently skipped. The bypassed checks include the mandatory Hop Limit 255 verification (which proves an ND packet originated on-link and was not forwarded) and, for Router Advertisements, the requirement that the source be a link-local address, as well as multicast-target sanity checks. As a result, an adjacent on-link attacker - and, because the Hop-Limit-255 guard is bypassed, potentially a remote/off-link attacker whose packets would otherwise be rejected - can have forged Router Advertisement, Neighbor Solicitation, and Neighbor Advertisement messages accepted. A forged RA lets the attacker reconfigure the victim's default router, on-link prefixes (SLAAC), MTU, reachable/retransmit timers, and (with CONFIG_NET_IPV6_RA_RDNSS) DNS servers, while forged NS/NA enable neighbor-cache poisoning, enabling man-in-the-middle, traffic redirection, and denial of service. The flaw is an input-validation/authentication weakness rather than a memory-safety issue: the underlying packet-parsing primitives (net_pkt_get_data, net_pkt_read, net_pkt_skip) are independently bounds-safe and the validated 'length' is the true buffer length, so skipping the length check causes no out-of-bounds access. The defect has existed since the logic was introduced in 2018 and shipped in all releases through v4.4.0; it is fixed by splitting the condition so any failing check drops the packet.
AnalysisAI
Forged IPv6 Neighbor Discovery acceptance in the Zephyr RTOS network stack (all releases through v4.4.0) lets an adjacent on-link attacker inject spoofed Router Advertisement, Neighbor Solicitation, and Neighbor Advertisement messages because an operator-precedence bug in subsys/net/ip/ipv6_nbr.c silently skips every RFC 4861 sanity check whenever the (always-present) ICMPv6 code is 0. Because the bypassed checks include the Hop-Limit==255 on-link proof, even off-link/remote attackers may have forged ND packets accepted, enabling default-router/DNS/SLAAC hijacking and neighbor-cache poisoning for man-in-the-middle, redirection, and denial of service. …
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Attack ChainAIDerived
Hypothetical attack flow derived from CVE metadata
Vulnerability AssessmentAI
| Exploitation | Exploitation requires the target to be a Zephyr device (≤ v4.4.0) running the IPv6 stack with Neighbor Discovery processing active, and the attacker must be able to deliver ICMPv6 ND packets to it - natively from an adjacent on-link position (AV:A), or potentially from off-link/remote since the bypassed Hop-Limit==255 guard normally blocks routed ND packets. … Additional conditions and limiting factors are described in the full assessment. |
| Risk Assessment | The CVSS 3.1 vector (AV:A/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:H/A:H, base 8.1) reflects an unauthenticated, low-complexity attack from an adjacent (on-link) position with high integrity and availability impact and no confidentiality impact - consistent with neighbor-cache/router poisoning rather than direct data disclosure. … Full risk analysis with EPSS, KEV, and SSVC signal comparison available after sign-in. |
| Exploit Scenario | An attacker on the same link (or, because the Hop-Limit==255 check is bypassed, potentially a remote attacker whose packet reaches the device) sends a forged Router Advertisement with ICMPv6 code 0 advertising the attacker as the default router and supplying a malicious RDNSS DNS server. The Zephyr victim accepts it without validating source link-local address or hop limit, reroutes its traffic and DNS through the attacker, enabling man-in-the-middle interception, redirection, or denial of service. … |
| Remediation | Apply the upstream fix that splits the broken condition so any single failing RFC 4861 check drops the packet: Vendor-released patch available as commit 095f064c94b95f9c35e05602e693dc268f0cb865 (https://github.com/zephyrproject-rtos/zephyr/commit/095f064c94b95f9c35e05602e693dc268f0cb865), per advisory GHSA-cpjw-rvwx-ph9f; rebuild and reflash device firmware from a Zephyr tree containing this commit (releases after v4.4.0). … Detailed patch versions, workarounds, and compensating controls in full report. |
Recommended ActionAI
Within 24 hours: Inventory all systems running Zephyr RTOS v4.4.0 and earlier across IoT, embedded device, and edge infrastructure deployments. …
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External POC / Exploit Code
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