Secuno
ENNL
Book demo

CVE-2026-25501

Free5gc Smf NULL pointer dereference

7.5 HIGHPublic exploitEPSS 0.51%
  1. Published24 Feb 2026

Description

free5GC SMF provides Session Management Function for free5GC, an open-source project for 5th generation (5G) mobile core networks. In versions up to and including 1.4.1, SMF panics due to nil pointer dereference and the SMF process terminates. This is triggered by a malformed PFCP SessionReportRequest on the SMF PFCP (UDP/8805) interface. No known upstream fix is available, but some workarounds are available. ACL/firewall the PFCP interface so only trusted UPF IPs can reach SMF (reduce spoofing/abuse surface); drop/inspect malformed PFCP SessionReportRequest messages at the network edge where feasible, and/or add recover() around PFCP handler dispatch to avoid whole-process termination (mitigation only).

CVSS 3.1 breakdown

Attack vectorNetwork
Attack complexityLow
Privileges requiredNone
User interactionNone
ScopeUnchanged
ConfidentialityNone
IntegrityNone
AvailabilityHigh
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H

Affected products

Free5gc Smf≤ 1.4.1

Remediation

No fixed version is recorded in the NVD data. Check the vendor advisory for the latest guidance.

References

Related CVEs

Recent high-severity vulnerabilities sharing a weakness type.

CVE-2026-861368.1
A missing authorization vulnerability in the wgagent management daemon's session…
CVE-2026-920519.1
Spoofing issue due to invalid pointer in the Graphics component. This vulnerability was…
CVE-2026-552099.8
resdata is software for reading and writing result files from the Eclipse reservoir…
CVE-2026-779018.8
Null pointer dereference in Microsoft Office Word allows an unauthorized attacker to…
CVE-2026-242638.2
NVIDIA DGX Spark contains a vulnerability in the system firmware, where a privileged…
CVE-2026-207278.6
Null pointer dereference for some Intel(R) PROSet/Wireless WiFi Software for Windows…

Frequently asked

Is CVE-2026-25501 being actively exploited?

CVE-2026-25501 is not in the CISA KEV catalog. A public exploit reference exists, so treat it as exploitable. Its EPSS exploit probability is 0.51%.

How severe is CVE-2026-25501?

CVE-2026-25501 has a CVSS 3.1 base score of 7.5, rated high. EPSS estimates a 0.51% probability of exploitation.

Which products are affected by CVE-2026-25501?

Affected products include Free5gc Smf.

How do I fix CVE-2026-25501?

Apply the vendor's patch or advisory guidance, then verify no affected versions remain across your devices.

How Secuno handles this

Secuno correlates vulnerabilities like CVE-2026-25501 against the real software inventory on every managed device, as each hourly inventory arrives. Rather than a static severity, each match is scored in context: exploit availability, EPSS, the asset's exposure, and business criticality decide where it lands in the queue. If an affected version is present anywhere across your portfolio, it surfaces automatically with a prioritised remediation path.

See how prioritisation worksBook a demo

Get Patch this first every Monday

Five vulnerabilities that matter this week, ranked on real exploitation. Plain language, one email, no spam.

You can unsubscribe with one click from every issue. We handle your details as described in our privacy policy.

Data from the NVD, CISA KEV catalog and FIRST EPSS. CVSS 3.1 base score shown where available.