HOMEVULNERABILITIESCVE-2026-42854
CRITICAL

CVE-2026-42854

CWE-121Published: May 12, 2026· Updated: May 18, 2026

9.8
CVSS v3.1
EPSS:0.20%probability of exploitation in 30 daysPercentile:41.9th

Official Description

arduino-esp32 is an Arduino core for the ESP32, ESP32-S2, ESP32-S3, ESP32-C3, ESP32-C6 and ESP32-H2 microcontrollers. Prior to 3.3.8, the WebServer multipart form parser in arduino-esp32 allocates a Variable Length Array (VLA) on the stack whose size is derived from an attacker-controlled HTTP header field (Content-Type: multipart/form-data; boundary=...) without enforcing any length limit. Sending a boundary string longer than ~8000 characters overflows the 8192-byte task stack of the loopTask, causing a crash and potential remote code execution. This vulnerability is fixed in 3.3.8.

NVD Source

Technical Analysis

CVE-2026-42854 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.

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

espressif1 product
arduino-esp32
Source: NVD CPE · 1 total CPE entries

Exploit & PoC Resources

NO KNOWN EXPLOITNo public exploit confirmed at this time
External links open in a new tab. Always verify in a controlled environment before use.

Official Patches & Advisories

All References (2)

Quick Facts

CVE IDCVE-2026-42854
CVSS Score9.8 / 10
SeverityCRITICAL
WeaknessCWE-121
CISA KEVNo
EPSS (30d)0.20%
Affected1 vendor
PublishedMay 12, 2026

Related CVEs (CWE-121)

Recommended Actions

  • Apply vendor patches immediately
  • Monitor CVE-2026-42854 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.COM. CVE data is provided under the NVD usage policy.