CVE-2025-9020: PX4-Autopilot · Use After Free
Affects PX4-AutopilotSource CVE Database V5
Not known to be exploited · CVSS 2.0 Low.
Data as of 26 Oct 2026, 17:16 UTC
- EPSS
- 0.1% chance of exploitation in 30 days – higher than 5% of CVEsExploit Prediction Scoring System: the likelihood attackers will use this flaw soon.
CVSS:4.0/AV:L/AC:H/AT:N/PR:L/UI:N/VC:L/VI:L/VA:L/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N/E:XExploitation evidence
Disclosed: evidence found.
CVE published 15 Aug 2025
Detectable: no evidence on record.
No public nuclei template indexed
Weaponised: no evidence on record.
No public exploit code indexed in Metasploit or Exploit-DB
Exploited in the wildExploited: no evidence on record.
Not in CISA KEV and no source reports exploitation
Observed by OffSeq MirageSeen by Mirage: no evidence on record.
No attack traffic recorded by OffSeq Mirage sensors
A missing step is not evidence of safety. Sources: cve.org (opens in a new tab), the Metasploit, Exploit-DB and nuclei-templates index as of 26 Oct 2026.
What to do
Affected software
| Product | Affected | Fixed in |
|---|---|---|
| PX4 PX4-Autopilot | Affected
| Fixed in– |
AI-suggested
European organizations should prioritize applying the official patch identified by commit 4395d4f00c49b888f030f5b43e2a779f1fa78708 to all affected PX4-Autopilot deployments. Beyond patching, organizations should enforce strict access controls to limit local access to PX4 devices, including physical security measures and network segmentation to prevent unauthorized local connectivity. Implementing robust authentication and authorization mechanisms for device management interfaces can reduce the risk of local exploitation. Regularly auditing and monitoring PX4 systems for anomalous behavior or unauthorized access attempts is advisable. Additionally, organizations should maintain an inventory of PX4 versions in use and establish update policies to ensure timely application of security patches. For critical UAV operations, consider deploying runtime protections such as memory safety tools or sandboxing to mitigate potential exploitation impacts. Training personnel on secure handling and operation of PX4-based systems will further reduce risk.
Description
A vulnerability was found in PX4 PX4-Autopilot up to 1.15.4. This issue affects the function MavlinkReceiver::handle_message_serial_control of the file src/modules/mavlink/mavlink_receiver.cpp of the component Mavlink Shell Closing Handler. The manipulation of the argument _mavlink_shell leads to use after free. An attack has to be approached locally. The complexity of an attack is rather high. The exploitation is known to be difficult. The identifier of the patch is 4395d4f00c49b888f030f5b43e2a779f1fa78708. It is recommended to apply a patch to fix this issue.
References
- vuldb.com (opens in a new tab)
- vuldb.com (opens in a new tab)
- vuldb.com (opens in a new tab)
- github.com/PX4/PX4-Autopilot/issues/25046 (opens in a new tab)
- github.com/PX4/PX4-Autopilot/pull/25082 (opens in a new tab)
- github.com/PX4/PX4-Autopilot/pull/25082/commits/4395d4f00c49b888f030f5b43e2a779f1fa78708 (opens in a new tab)