8.1
HIGH CVSS 3.1
CVE-2026-19186
Integer underflow in IEEE 802.15.4 frame decryption leads to out-of-bounds read and write
Description

ieee802154_decipher_data_frame() in subsys/net/l2/ieee802154/ieee802154_frame.c computed payload_len = net_pkt_get_len(pkt) - ll_hdr_len - authtag_len without first checking that the received frame is at least ll_hdr_len + authtag_len bytes long. All three variables are uint8_t, so a frame whose payload is shorter than the configured authentication tag makes the subtraction wrap around to a large value (up to 255). The wrapped length is passed unchanged to ieee802154_decrypt_auth() and on to the CCM operation as cipher_pkt.in_len/out_buf_max, with apkt->tag pointing at frame + ll_hdr_len + payload_len. Because the receive buffer is allocated to the exact length of the frame received from the radio driver, the crypto layer then reads several hundred bytes past the end of the packet buffer and writes the same number of decrypted bytes back over it in place. The frame's authentication tag is only verified after this processing has taken place, so no key material, association or prior authentication is needed — a single crafted short frame from any device in radio range is sufficient. Frame validation in ieee802154_validate_frame() does not prevent it: a data frame is accepted with a one-byte payload. The result is an out-of-bounds read and an out-of-bounds write of up to roughly 240 bytes into the adjacent network-buffer pool, corrupting other packets or allocator metadata and typically faulting the target. The out-of-bounds content is not attacker-chosen (it is ciphertext XOR keystream over out-of-bounds memory) and the frame is dropped when tag verification fails, so the primary impact is memory corruption and denial of service rather than information disclosure. Exposure is limited to configurations that enable the experimental CONFIG_NET_L2_IEEE802154_SECURITY option, select a crypto device via CONFIG_NET_L2_IEEE802154_SECURITY_CRYPTO_DEV_NAME, and have established a security session with a level other than IEEE802154_SECURITY_LEVEL_NONE; with security disabled or at level NONE the tag length is zero and no underflow occurs. The fix rejects frames shorter than ll_hdr_len + authtag_len before the subtraction, and adds the matching guard on the transmit side in ieee802154_create_data_frame().

INFO

Published Date :

Oct. 7, 2026, 9:17 a.m.

Last Modified :

Oct. 7, 2026, 9:17 a.m.

Remotely Exploit :

No
Affected Products

The following products are affected by CVE-2026-19186 vulnerability. Even if cvefeed.io is aware of the exact versions of the products that are affected, the information is not represented in the table below.

ID Vendor Product Action
1 Zephyrproject zephyr
2 Zephyrproject zephyr
CVSS Scores
The Common Vulnerability Scoring System is a standardized framework for assessing the severity of vulnerabilities in software and systems. We collect and displays CVSS scores from various sources for each CVE.
Score Version Severity Vector Exploitability Score Impact Score Source
CVSS 3.1 HIGH e2e69745-5e70-4e92-8431-deb5529a81ad
CVSS 3.1 HIGH MITRE-CVE
CVSS 3.1 HIGH [email protected]
Solution
Fix an integer underflow vulnerability in IEEE 802.15.4 frame processing that causes memory corruption.
  • Reject frames shorter than header and authentication tag lengths.
  • Guard frame creation against integer underflow.
  • Update the IEEE 802.15.4 networking component.
  • Disable security if updates are not possible.
References to Advisories, Solutions, and Tools

Here, you will find a curated list of external links that provide in-depth information, practical solutions, and valuable tools related to CVE-2026-19186.

URL Resource
https://github.com/zephyrproject-rtos/zephyr/commit/6d721de13a6026808f75578ecfee95a3592d5264
https://github.com/zephyrproject-rtos/zephyr/security/advisories/GHSA-6x64-rwq6-j8x3
CWE - Common Weakness Enumeration

While CVE identifies specific instances of vulnerabilities, CWE categorizes the common flaws or weaknesses that can lead to vulnerabilities. CVE-2026-19186 is associated with the following CWEs:

Common Attack Pattern Enumeration and Classification (CAPEC)

Common Attack Pattern Enumeration and Classification (CAPEC) stores attack patterns, which are descriptions of the common attributes and approaches employed by adversaries to exploit the CVE-2026-19186 weaknesses.

We scan GitHub repositories to detect new proof-of-concept exploits. Following list is a collection of public exploits and proof-of-concepts, which have been published on GitHub (sorted by the most recently updated).

Results are limited to the first 15 repositories due to potential performance issues.

The following list is the news that have been mention CVE-2026-19186 vulnerability anywhere in the article.

The following table lists the changes that have been made to the CVE-2026-19186 vulnerability over time.

Vulnerability history details can be useful for understanding the evolution of a vulnerability, and for identifying the most recent changes that may impact the vulnerability's severity, exploitability, or other characteristics.

  • New CVE Received by [email protected]

    Oct. 07, 2026

    Action Type Old Value New Value
    Added Description ieee802154_decipher_data_frame() in subsys/net/l2/ieee802154/ieee802154_frame.c computed payload_len = net_pkt_get_len(pkt) - ll_hdr_len - authtag_len without first checking that the received frame is at least ll_hdr_len + authtag_len bytes long. All three variables are uint8_t, so a frame whose payload is shorter than the configured authentication tag makes the subtraction wrap around to a large value (up to 255). The wrapped length is passed unchanged to ieee802154_decrypt_auth() and on to the CCM operation as cipher_pkt.in_len/out_buf_max, with apkt->tag pointing at frame + ll_hdr_len + payload_len. Because the receive buffer is allocated to the exact length of the frame received from the radio driver, the crypto layer then reads several hundred bytes past the end of the packet buffer and writes the same number of decrypted bytes back over it in place. The frame's authentication tag is only verified after this processing has taken place, so no key material, association or prior authentication is needed — a single crafted short frame from any device in radio range is sufficient. Frame validation in ieee802154_validate_frame() does not prevent it: a data frame is accepted with a one-byte payload. The result is an out-of-bounds read and an out-of-bounds write of up to roughly 240 bytes into the adjacent network-buffer pool, corrupting other packets or allocator metadata and typically faulting the target. The out-of-bounds content is not attacker-chosen (it is ciphertext XOR keystream over out-of-bounds memory) and the frame is dropped when tag verification fails, so the primary impact is memory corruption and denial of service rather than information disclosure. Exposure is limited to configurations that enable the experimental CONFIG_NET_L2_IEEE802154_SECURITY option, select a crypto device via CONFIG_NET_L2_IEEE802154_SECURITY_CRYPTO_DEV_NAME, and have established a security session with a level other than IEEE802154_SECURITY_LEVEL_NONE; with security disabled or at level NONE the tag length is zero and no underflow occurs. The fix rejects frames shorter than ll_hdr_len + authtag_len before the subtraction, and adds the matching guard on the transmit side in ieee802154_create_data_frame().
    Added CVSS V3.1 AV:A/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:H/A:H
    Added CWE CWE-787
    Added CWE CWE-191
    Added Affected New affected value received. <a href="https://github.com/CVEProject/cvelistV5/blob/main/cves/2026/19xxx/CVE-2026-19186.json">CVE-2026-19186</a>
    Added Reference https://github.com/zephyrproject-rtos/zephyr/commit/6d721de13a6026808f75578ecfee95a3592d5264
    Added Reference https://github.com/zephyrproject-rtos/zephyr/security/advisories/GHSA-6x64-rwq6-j8x3
EPSS is a daily estimate of the probability of exploitation activity being observed over the next 30 days. Following chart shows the EPSS score history of the vulnerability.