Description
free5GC is an open-source implementation of the 5G core network. Prior to 1.4.5, the free5GC AUSF (Authentication Server Function) does not validate the supiOrSuci field in UE authentication requests. Null bytes (\x00) and other control characters pass through JSON parsing unchanged and are forwarded to the UDM in an unescaped URL path. This causes Go's net/url.Parse() to fail, returning HTTP 500 "System failure" and leaking internal stack traces. An unauthenticated attacker can trigger this at scale causing denial of service for all subscribers attempting authentication through the affected AUSF. This vulnerability is fixed in 1.4.5.
Published: 2026-07-31
Score: 6.9 Medium
EPSS: < 1% Very Low
KEV: No
Impact: n/a
Action: n/a
AI Analysis

Impact

The vulnerability allows an attacker to send a UE authentication request containing null bytes in the supiOrSuci field. The input bypasses validation, propagates unchanged to the UDM through the URL path, and triggers Go’s url.Parse() to die. This results in an HTTP 500 "System failure" response and a stack trace leak. The weakness is a classic input‑validation flaw (CWE‑20). The impact is a denial of service to all subscribers while also exposing internal stack information.

Affected Systems

free5gc AUSF and the free5gc core stack, specifically versions released before 1.4.5; the vulnerability is fixed in free5gc AUSF 1.4.5 and the overall free5gc release 4.2.2.

Risk and Exploitability

With a CVSS score of 6.9 the severity is moderate–high. The EPSS score of less than 1 % indicates a very low probability of exploitation in the wild, and the vulnerability is not listed in the CISA KEV catalog. The attack requires only the ability to inject a null byte into the supiOrSuci field, which is available to any unauthenticated user that can place a request to the AUSF. If triggered at scale, all authentication attempts will receive HTTP 500 responses, effectively disabling subscriber authentication.

Generated by OpenCVE AI on August 2, 2026 at 03:54 UTC.

Remediation

No vendor fix or workaround currently provided.

OpenCVE Recommended Actions

  • Upgrade free5gc AUSF to version 1.4.5 or later
  • Apply free5gc release 4.2.2 which includes the patch across the stack
  • Implement a network filter to reject authentication requests containing control characters in the supiOrSuci field as a temporary measure

Generated by OpenCVE AI on August 2, 2026 at 03:54 UTC.

Tracking

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Advisories
Source ID Title
Github GHSA Github GHSA GHSA-qj55-47fp-p62j free5GC AUSF: null byte injection in supiOrSuci causes HTTP 500 internal service failure
History

Wed, 05 Aug 2026 03:30:00 +0000

Type Values Removed Values Added
Metrics ssvc

{'options': {'Automatable': 'yes', 'Exploitation': 'poc', 'Technical Impact': 'partial'}, 'version': '2.0.3'}


Fri, 31 Jul 2026 21:45:00 +0000

Type Values Removed Values Added
First Time appeared Free5gc
Free5gc ausf
Free5gc free5gc
Vendors & Products Free5gc
Free5gc ausf
Free5gc free5gc

Fri, 31 Jul 2026 20:15:00 +0000

Type Values Removed Values Added
Description free5GC is an open-source implementation of the 5G core network. Prior to 1.4.5, the free5GC AUSF (Authentication Server Function) does not validate the supiOrSuci field in UE authentication requests. Null bytes (\x00) and other control characters pass through JSON parsing unchanged and are forwarded to the UDM in an unescaped URL path. This causes Go's net/url.Parse() to fail, returning HTTP 500 "System failure" and leaking internal stack traces. An unauthenticated attacker can trigger this at scale causing denial of service for all subscribers attempting authentication through the affected AUSF. This vulnerability is fixed in 1.4.5.
Title free5GC AUSF: null byte injection in supiOrSuci causes HTTP 500 internal service failure
Weaknesses CWE-20
References
Metrics cvssV4_0

{'score': 6.9, 'vector': 'CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:N/UI:N/VC:N/VI:N/VA:L/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N'}


cve-icon MITRE

Status: PUBLISHED

Assigner: GitHub_M

Published:

Updated: 2026-08-03T16:26:59.863Z

Reserved: 2026-06-09T18:13:07.263Z

Link: CVE-2026-53551

cve-icon Vulnrichment

Updated: 2026-08-03T16:18:58.095Z

cve-icon NVD

Status : Received

Published: 2026-07-31T20:16:51.697

Modified: 2026-08-03T17:16:38.093

Link: CVE-2026-53551

cve-icon Redhat

No data.

cve-icon OpenCVE Enrichment

Updated: 2026-08-02T04:00:06Z

Weaknesses
  • CWE-20

    Improper Input Validation