Contiki-NG is an open-source, cross-platform operating system for internet of things (IoT) devices. In versions 4.8 and prior, an out-of-bounds write can occur in the BLE L2CAP module of the Contiki-NG operating system. The network stack of Contiki-NG uses a global buffer (packetbuf) for processing of packets, with the size of PACKETBUF_SIZE. In particular, when using the BLE L2CAP module with the default configuration, the PACKETBUF_SIZE value becomes larger then the actual size of the packetbuf. When large packets are processed by the L2CAP module, a buffer overflow can therefore occur when copying the packet data to the packetbuf. The vulnerability has been patched in the "develop" branch of Contiki-NG, and will be included in release 4.9. The problem can be worked around by applying the patch manually.
This vulnerability carries a HIGH severity rating with a CVSS v3.1 score of 8.1, indicating it can be exploited remotely over the network but requires specific conditions to be met without requiring user interaction and does not require pre-existing privileges . The vulnerability impacts confidentiality (data exposure), integrity (unauthorized modifications), and availability (service disruption) for affected systems. Impacting 1 product from contiki-ng organizations running these solutions should prioritize assessment and patching.
Reported in 2023, this vulnerability emerged during an era marked by increased sophistication in supply chain attacks, cloud infrastructure vulnerabilities, and software-as-a-service (SaaS) security challenges. Security practices during this period emphasized zero-trust architectures, container security, and API protection.
2023-03-17T22:15:11.547
2026-06-17T05:46:54.413
Modified
CVSSv3.1: 8.1 (HIGH)
| Type | Vendor | Product | Version/Range | Vulnerable? |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Operating System | contiki-ng | contiki-ng | ≤ 4.8 | Yes |
SecUtils normalizes and enriches National Vulnerability Database (NVD) records by standardizing vendor and product identifiers, aggregating vulnerability metadata from both NVD and MITRE sources, and providing structured context for security teams. For contiki-ng's affected products, we extract Common Platform Enumeration (CPE) data, Common Weakness Enumeration (CWE) classifications, CVSS severity metrics, and reference data to enable rapid vulnerability prioritization and asset correlation. This record contains no exploit code, proof-of-concept instructions, or attack methodologies—only defensive intelligence necessary for patch management, risk assessment, and security operations.