HOMEVULNERABILITIESCVE-2023-33975
CRITICAL

CVE-2023-33975

CWE-119Published: May 30, 2023· Updated: Jun 17, 2026

9.8
CVSS v3.1

Official Description

RIOT-OS, an operating system for Internet of Things (IoT) devices, contains a network stack with the ability to process 6LoWPAN frames. In version 2023.01 and prior, an attacker can send a crafted frame to the device resulting in an out of bounds write in the packet buffer. The overflow can be used to corrupt other packets and the allocator metadata. Corrupting a pointer will easily lead to denial of service. While carefully manipulating the allocator metadata gives an attacker the possibility to write data to arbitrary locations and thus execute arbitrary code. This issue is fixed in pull request 19680. As a workaround, disable support for fragmented IP datagrams.

NVD Source

Risk Analysis

RIOT-OS contains a vulnerability in its 6LoWPAN network stack that can lead to an out-of-bounds write. This can be exploited for denial of service or remote code execution, warranting a critical 9.8 CVSS score.

No public exploit is known, and it is not in the CISA KEV. The vulnerability is remotely exploitable with low attack complexity.

Recommended Action

Apply the fix provided in pull request 19680 or disable support for fragmented IP datagrams as a workaround.

Generated by the CTIWATCH analysis pipeline from this CVE's metadata (CVSS, EPSS, KEV status, exploit intelligence). Verify against vendor advisories before acting.

Technical Analysis

CVE-2023-33975 can be exploited remotely over the network without requiring physical or adjacent access, significantly expanding the attack surface for threat actors.

The vulnerability requires no privileges and no user interaction, making it a prime target for automated exploitation campaigns and worm-like propagation.

A successful exploit results in complete confidentiality breach (data exposure), full integrity compromise (data manipulation), availability disruption (denial of service), with a CVSS base score of 9.8.

From a weakness classification perspective (CWE-119): Buffer overflow vulnerabilities can lead to arbitrary code execution or denial of service by corrupting adjacent memory.

CVSS v3.1 Vector Breakdown

Exploitability
Attack VectorNetwork
Attack ComplexityLow
Privileges Req.None
User InteractionNone
ScopeUnchanged
Impact
ConfidentialityHigh
IntegrityHigh
AvailabilityHigh
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

Affected Vendors & Products

riot-os1 product(s)
riot
Source: NVD CPE · 1 total CPE entries

Exploit & PoC Resources

NO KNOWN EXPLOITNo public exploit confirmed at this time
Exploit-DB
Offensive Security exploit database
GitHub PoC Search
Community PoC repositories
Rapid7 / Metasploit
Metasploit module search
PacketStorm
Security advisories & exploits
NVD Detail
Official NIST entry
MITRE CVE
CVE Program entry
External links open in a new tab. Always verify in a controlled environment before use.

Official Patches & Advisories

PATCHhttps://github.com/RIOT-OS/RIOT/pull/19680
PATCHhttps://github.com/RIOT-OS/RIOT/pull/19680
ADVISORYhttps://github.com/RIOT-OS/RIOT/blob/f41b4b67b6affca0a8b32edced7f51088696869a/sys/net/gnrc/network_layer/sixlowpan/frag/rb/gnrc_sixlowpan_frag_rb.c#L320
ADVISORYhttps://github.com/RIOT-OS/RIOT/blob/f41b4b67b6affca0a8b32edced7f51088696869a/sys/net/gnrc/network_layer/sixlowpan/frag/rb/gnrc_sixlowpan_frag_rb.c#L388
ADVISORYhttps://github.com/RIOT-OS/RIOT/blob/f41b4b67b6affca0a8b32edced7f51088696869a/sys/net/gnrc/network_layer/sixlowpan/frag/rb/gnrc_sixlowpan_frag_rb.c#L463
ADVISORYhttps://github.com/RIOT-OS/RIOT/blob/f41b4b67b6affca0a8b32edced7f51088696869a/sys/net/gnrc/network_layer/sixlowpan/frag/rb/gnrc_sixlowpan_frag_rb.c#L467
ADVISORYhttps://github.com/RIOT-OS/RIOT/blob/f41b4b67b6affca0a8b32edced7f51088696869a/sys/net/gnrc/network_layer/sixlowpan/frag/rb/gnrc_sixlowpan_frag_rb.c#L480
ADVISORYhttps://github.com/RIOT-OS/RIOT/commit/1aeb90ee5555ae78b567a6365ae4ab71bfd1404b
ADVISORYhttps://github.com/RIOT-OS/RIOT/security/advisories/GHSA-f6ff-g7mh-58q4
ADVISORYhttps://github.com/RIOT-OS/RIOT/blob/f41b4b67b6affca0a8b32edced7f51088696869a/sys/net/gnrc/network_layer/sixlowpan/frag/rb/gnrc_sixlowpan_frag_rb.c#L320
ADVISORYhttps://github.com/RIOT-OS/RIOT/blob/f41b4b67b6affca0a8b32edced7f51088696869a/sys/net/gnrc/network_layer/sixlowpan/frag/rb/gnrc_sixlowpan_frag_rb.c#L388
ADVISORYhttps://github.com/RIOT-OS/RIOT/blob/f41b4b67b6affca0a8b32edced7f51088696869a/sys/net/gnrc/network_layer/sixlowpan/frag/rb/gnrc_sixlowpan_frag_rb.c#L463
ADVISORYhttps://github.com/RIOT-OS/RIOT/blob/f41b4b67b6affca0a8b32edced7f51088696869a/sys/net/gnrc/network_layer/sixlowpan/frag/rb/gnrc_sixlowpan_frag_rb.c#L467
ADVISORYhttps://github.com/RIOT-OS/RIOT/blob/f41b4b67b6affca0a8b32edced7f51088696869a/sys/net/gnrc/network_layer/sixlowpan/frag/rb/gnrc_sixlowpan_frag_rb.c#L480
ADVISORYhttps://github.com/RIOT-OS/RIOT/commit/1aeb90ee5555ae78b567a6365ae4ab71bfd1404b
ADVISORYhttps://github.com/RIOT-OS/RIOT/security/advisories/GHSA-f6ff-g7mh-58q4

All References (16)

→
https://github.com/RIOT-OS/RIOT/blob/f41b4b67b6affca0a8b32edced7f51088696869a/sys/net/gnrc/network_layer/sixlowpan/frag/rb/gnrc_sixlowpan_frag_rb.c#L320Vendor Advisory
→
https://github.com/RIOT-OS/RIOT/blob/f41b4b67b6affca0a8b32edced7f51088696869a/sys/net/gnrc/network_layer/sixlowpan/frag/rb/gnrc_sixlowpan_frag_rb.c#L388Vendor Advisory
→
https://github.com/RIOT-OS/RIOT/blob/f41b4b67b6affca0a8b32edced7f51088696869a/sys/net/gnrc/network_layer/sixlowpan/frag/rb/gnrc_sixlowpan_frag_rb.c#L463Vendor Advisory
→
https://github.com/RIOT-OS/RIOT/blob/f41b4b67b6affca0a8b32edced7f51088696869a/sys/net/gnrc/network_layer/sixlowpan/frag/rb/gnrc_sixlowpan_frag_rb.c#L467Vendor Advisory
→
https://github.com/RIOT-OS/RIOT/blob/f41b4b67b6affca0a8b32edced7f51088696869a/sys/net/gnrc/network_layer/sixlowpan/frag/rb/gnrc_sixlowpan_frag_rb.c#L480Vendor Advisory
→
https://github.com/RIOT-OS/RIOT/commit/1aeb90ee5555ae78b567a6365ae4ab71bfd1404bVendor Advisory
→
https://github.com/RIOT-OS/RIOT/pull/19680Patch · Vendor Advisory
→
https://github.com/RIOT-OS/RIOT/security/advisories/GHSA-f6ff-g7mh-58q4Exploit · Vendor Advisory
→
https://github.com/RIOT-OS/RIOT/blob/f41b4b67b6affca0a8b32edced7f51088696869a/sys/net/gnrc/network_layer/sixlowpan/frag/rb/gnrc_sixlowpan_frag_rb.c#L320Vendor Advisory
→
https://github.com/RIOT-OS/RIOT/blob/f41b4b67b6affca0a8b32edced7f51088696869a/sys/net/gnrc/network_layer/sixlowpan/frag/rb/gnrc_sixlowpan_frag_rb.c#L388Vendor Advisory
→
https://github.com/RIOT-OS/RIOT/blob/f41b4b67b6affca0a8b32edced7f51088696869a/sys/net/gnrc/network_layer/sixlowpan/frag/rb/gnrc_sixlowpan_frag_rb.c#L463Vendor Advisory
→
https://github.com/RIOT-OS/RIOT/blob/f41b4b67b6affca0a8b32edced7f51088696869a/sys/net/gnrc/network_layer/sixlowpan/frag/rb/gnrc_sixlowpan_frag_rb.c#L467Vendor Advisory
→
https://github.com/RIOT-OS/RIOT/blob/f41b4b67b6affca0a8b32edced7f51088696869a/sys/net/gnrc/network_layer/sixlowpan/frag/rb/gnrc_sixlowpan_frag_rb.c#L480Vendor Advisory
→
https://github.com/RIOT-OS/RIOT/commit/1aeb90ee5555ae78b567a6365ae4ab71bfd1404bVendor Advisory
→
https://github.com/RIOT-OS/RIOT/pull/19680Patch · Vendor Advisory

Quick Facts

CVE IDCVE-2023-33975
CVSS Score9.8 / 10
SeverityCRITICAL
WeaknessCWE-119
CISA KEVNo
Affected1 vendor(s)
PublishedMay 30, 2023

Related CVEs (CWE-119)

CVE-2012-5250
10.0
CVE-2012-5249
10.0
CVE-2012-5252
10.0
CVE-2012-5196
10.0
CVE-2012-5248
10.0
CVE-2012-5251
10.0

Recommended Actions

  • →Apply vendor patches immediately
  • →Monitor CVE-2023-33975 in threat intel feeds
  • →Review IDS/IPS signatures for exploitation attempts
Data sourced from NVD (NIST), CISA KEV, and EPSS (FIRST). Analysis generated by CTIWatch. CVE data is provided under the NVD usage policy.
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