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CVE-2026-22214 - RIOT OS Plugin

CVE-2026-22214

RIOT OS versions up to and including 2026.01-devel-317 contain a stack-based buffer overflow vulnerability in the ethos utility due to missing bounds checking when processing incoming serial frame data. The vulnerability occurs in the _handle_char() function, where incoming frame bytes are appended to a fixed-size stack buffer without verifying that the current write index remains within bounds. An attacker capable of sending crafted serial or TCP-framed input can cause the current write index to exceed the buffer size, resulting in a write past the end of the stack buffer. This condition leads to memory corruption and application crash.

CVE-2026-22214

MEDIUM CVSS 6.8 Published 2026-01-12 Updated 2026-01-21
AI Risk Elevated (68/100) Active Exploit: No strong signal Published Exploit: Public exploit references found Priority: P3 Priority
Severity Band MEDIUM
CVSS Vector CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:L/UI:A/VC:N/VI:N/VA:H/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N/E:X/CR:X/IR:X/AR:X/MAV:X/MAC:X/MAT:X/MPR:X/MUI:X/MVC:X/MVI:X/MVA:X/MSC:X/MSI:X/MSA:X/S:X/AU:X/R:X/V:X/RE:X/U:X
Affected Components 1
Reference Links 4
AI Risk Engine Elevated (68/100)
Exploitability Medium
Active Exploitation No strong signal
Published Exploit Status Public exploit references found

Threat Timeline

  1. 2026-01-12 CVE published and first recorded in the threat feed.
  2. 2026-01-21 Record updated with latest vulnerability metadata.
  3. 2026-04-09 AI technical context refreshed for mitigation and impact guidance.
  4. Now Monitoring for follow-up changes, linked references, and new related CVEs.

AI Context

Machine-generated threat intelligence

AI Updated 6 days ago

AI enriched 6 days ago (2026-04-09 06:09 UTC)

Technical Summary

RIOT OS versions up to and including 2026.01-devel-317 contain a stack-based buffer overflow vulnerability in the ethos utility due to missing bounds checking when processing incoming serial frame data. The vulnerability occurs in the _handle_char() function, where incoming frame bytes are appended to a fixed-size stack buffer without verifying that the current write index remains within bounds. An attacker capable of sending crafted serial or TCP-framed input can cause the current write index to exceed the buffer size, resulting in…

Potential Impact

Severity is MEDIUM (CVSS 6.8). Depending on deployment context, affected components may be exposed to unauthorized actions or data integrity risk.

Exploitability Assessment

Exploitability is assessed as Medium based on published exploit references.

Primary risk drivers: published exploit references

Mitigation Recommendations

Validate affected product versions, prioritize patching, and monitor references for vendor remediation guidance. If immediate patching is not possible, apply compensating controls and limit exposure of vulnerable surfaces.

Detection & Monitoring

Track authentication anomalies, unexpected file writes, and suspicious plugin API activity around affected components.

Business Impact Lens

Prioritize remediation where affected components process customer data, admin sessions, or Internet-exposed workflows.

Affected Products

RIOT OS PLUGIN · riot-os Affected: >= 0, <= 2026.01-devel-317 Fixed version not specified
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