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).
Published: 2026-02-24
Score: 6.6 Medium
EPSS: < 1% Very Low
KEV: No
Impact: Denial of Service
Action: Apply Workaround
AI Analysis

Impact

A malformed PFCP SessionReportRequest that sets ReportType.DLDR but omits the required DownlinkDataReport Information Element causes a nil pointer dereference in free5GC SMF, leading to a panic and the termination of the SMF process. This results in a denial of service for the SMF component and potentially disrupts the upstream negotiation and ongoing service sessions in the 5G core network.

Affected Systems

The vulnerability affects the free5gc SMF component, versions up to and including 1.4.1. The impact is limited to installations of this software that expose the PFCP interface on UDP port 8805 to external traffic.

Risk and Exploitability

The CVSS base score of 6.6 indicates moderate severity, while the EPSS score of less than 1% suggests a low likelihood of active exploitation at present. The vulnerability is not listed in the CISA KEV catalog. An attacker can exploit it by remotely sending a crafted PFCP SessionReportRequest message to the SMF PFCP interface; proper authentication or additional remote code execution is not required. The crash is deterministic once the malformed message is processed, exposing the SMF to repeated denial of service attacks.

Generated by OpenCVE AI on April 17, 2026 at 16:08 UTC.

Remediation

No vendor fix or workaround currently provided.

OpenCVE Recommended Actions

  • Configure the PFCP interface so that only trusted UPF IP addresses can reach SMF (e.g., via firewall ACL rules).
  • Drop or inspect malformed PFCP SessionReportRequest messages at the network edge where possible to prevent the bad payload from reaching SMF.
  • Wrap the PFCP handler dispatch code in a recover() block to catch panics and avoid full process termination.

Generated by OpenCVE AI on April 17, 2026 at 16:08 UTC.

Tracking

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Advisories

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History

Thu, 26 Feb 2026 15:15:00 +0000

Type Values Removed Values Added
Metrics ssvc

{'options': {'Automatable': 'yes', 'Exploitation': 'none', 'Technical Impact': 'partial'}, 'version': '2.0.3'}

Wed, 25 Feb 2026 16:30:00 +0000

Type Values Removed Values Added
CPEs cpe:2.3:a:free5gc:smf:*:*:*:*:*:go:*:*
Metrics cvssV3_1

{'score': 7.5, 'vector': 'CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H'}

Tue, 24 Feb 2026 10:00:00 +0000

Type Values Removed Values Added
First Time appeared Free5gc
Free5gc smf
Vendors & Products Free5gc
Free5gc smf

Tue, 24 Feb 2026 00:45:00 +0000

Type Values Removed Values Added
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).
Title free5GC SMF crash (nil pointer dereference) on PFCP SessionReportRequest when ReportType.DLDR is set but DownlinkDataReport IE is missing
Weaknesses CWE-476
References
Metrics cvssV4_0

{'score': 6.6, 'vector': 'CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:N/UI:N/VC:N/VI:N/VA:H/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N/E:U'}

Subscriptions

Free5gc Smf
cve-icon MITRE

Status: PUBLISHED

Assigner: GitHub_M

Published:

Updated: 2026-02-26T14:28:02.807Z

Reserved: 2026-02-02T18:21:42.485Z

Link: CVE-2026-25501

cve-icon Vulnrichment

Updated: 2026-02-26T14:27:56.404Z

cve-icon NVD

Status : Analyzed

Published: 2026-02-24T01:16:12.927

Modified: 2026-02-25T16:26:40.507

Link: CVE-2026-25501

cve-icon Redhat

No data.

cve-icon OpenCVE Enrichment

Updated: 2026-04-17T16:15:22Z

Weaknesses