CVE-2024-7138 is a medium-severity vulnerability identified in the Silicon Labs RS9116 Bluetooth SDK, specifically related to the handling of L2CAP (Logical Link Control and Adaptation Protocol) packets. The vulnerability is classified under CWE-617 (Reachable Assertion), indicating that an assertion in the code can be triggered by crafted input, leading to a denial of service (DoS) condition. In this case, when a peer Bluetooth device sends a specially crafted malformed L2CAP packet, the SDK's assertion mechanism is triggered, causing the affected device to enter a temporary denial of service state. If the device does not have a watchdog timer enabled to recover automatically, it requires a hard reset to restore normal operation. The vulnerability does not impact confidentiality or integrity but affects availability by causing service disruption. The CVSS 3.1 base score is 6.5, reflecting a medium severity with an attack vector of adjacent network (Bluetooth), low attack complexity, no privileges required, and no user interaction needed. The scope remains unchanged, and the impact is limited to availability. No known exploits are currently reported in the wild, and no patches have been linked yet. The affected product is the RS9116 Bluetooth SDK version 0 (likely initial or early versions). This vulnerability highlights the risks in Bluetooth protocol stack implementations, particularly in embedded or IoT devices using the Silicon Labs RS9116 module, which is commonly deployed in wireless communication applications requiring Bluetooth connectivity.

For European organizations, the primary impact of CVE-2024-7138 is the potential for denial of service on devices utilizing the RS9116 Bluetooth SDK. This can disrupt operations in environments relying on Bluetooth-enabled devices for critical functions, such as industrial automation, healthcare monitoring equipment, smart building controls, and consumer electronics. The temporary DoS could lead to operational downtime, reduced productivity, and potential safety risks if devices fail to respond as expected. In sectors like manufacturing or healthcare, where continuous device availability is crucial, such disruptions could have cascading effects. Additionally, the requirement for a hard reset in the absence of a watchdog timer increases maintenance overhead and could delay recovery. While the vulnerability does not expose data to theft or manipulation, the availability impact can undermine trust in affected systems and may lead to compliance issues if service levels are not maintained. European organizations with extensive IoT deployments or Bluetooth-dependent infrastructure should assess their exposure and readiness to respond to such disruptions.

To mitigate CVE-2024-7138 effectively, organizations should: 1) Enable and verify the functionality of watchdog timers on all devices using the RS9116 Bluetooth SDK to ensure automatic recovery from assertion-triggered DoS states without requiring manual resets. 2) Monitor vendor communications closely for official patches or firmware updates addressing this vulnerability and apply them promptly once available. 3) Implement network-level controls to restrict Bluetooth communication to trusted devices only, reducing the risk of receiving malformed packets from unauthorized sources. 4) Conduct thorough testing of Bluetooth-enabled devices under malformed packet conditions to evaluate resilience and recovery mechanisms. 5) Where feasible, consider deploying intrusion detection systems capable of identifying anomalous Bluetooth traffic patterns indicative of exploitation attempts. 6) Maintain an inventory of all devices using the RS9116 SDK to prioritize patching and mitigation efforts. 7) Educate operational staff on recognizing symptoms of Bluetooth device DoS and procedures for safe device resets to minimize downtime.