CVE-2024-51428 identifies a vulnerability in Espressif's ESP-IDF version 5.3.0, a widely used development framework for Espressif's Wi-Fi and Bluetooth SoCs commonly embedded in IoT devices. The vulnerability arises from improper handling of data channel packets, which can be crafted maliciously to trigger a Denial of Service (DoS) condition. Specifically, the issue is classified under CWE-770, indicating an improper management of resources that leads to exhaustion or failure. An attacker can send specially crafted packets over the network without requiring any authentication or user interaction, causing the affected device or system to become unresponsive or crash, thereby disrupting service availability. The CVSS 3.1 base score of 7.5 reflects the network attack vector (AV:N), low attack complexity (AC:L), no privileges required (PR:N), no user interaction (UI:N), unchanged scope (S:U), no impact on confidentiality or integrity (C:N/I:N), but high impact on availability (A:H). No patches or exploits are currently publicly available, but the vulnerability's nature suggests it could be leveraged in denial-of-service attacks against IoT infrastructure relying on Espressif components. Given the widespread use of Espressif chips in consumer and industrial IoT devices, this vulnerability poses a significant risk to embedded systems that rely on ESP-IDF 5.3.0 or similar versions.

The primary impact of CVE-2024-51428 is the disruption of service availability in devices running Espressif ESP-IDF 5.3.0. This can lead to denial-of-service conditions in IoT devices, embedded systems, and potentially critical infrastructure relying on Espressif chips. Organizations deploying these devices may experience operational outages, degraded performance, or complete device failures, which can affect business continuity, safety systems, and user experience. Since the vulnerability does not affect confidentiality or integrity, data breaches or unauthorized data modifications are not a direct concern. However, the ease of remote exploitation without authentication increases the risk of widespread attacks, especially in environments with exposed or poorly segmented networks. The lack of known exploits in the wild currently limits immediate threat but does not preclude future exploitation. Industries such as manufacturing, smart home, healthcare, and telecommunications that utilize Espressif-based IoT devices are particularly vulnerable to service disruptions caused by this flaw.

To mitigate CVE-2024-51428, organizations should first monitor Espressif's official channels for patches or firmware updates addressing this vulnerability and apply them promptly once available. In the interim, network-level defenses such as implementing strict firewall rules to limit exposure of Espressif devices to untrusted networks can reduce attack surface. Deploying intrusion detection and prevention systems (IDS/IPS) capable of identifying anomalous or malformed data channel packets can help detect and block exploitation attempts. Network segmentation should be enforced to isolate vulnerable IoT devices from critical infrastructure and sensitive networks. Device manufacturers and integrators should review their use of ESP-IDF versions and consider upgrading to versions without this vulnerability. Additionally, applying rate limiting on network traffic to IoT devices can mitigate the impact of potential DoS attempts. Regular security assessments and penetration testing focusing on IoT environments can help identify and remediate exposure to this and similar vulnerabilities.