CVE-2026-11811: dos in zephyrproject zephyr
The UpdateHub over-the-air update client's start_coap_client() in subsys/mgmt/updatehub/updatehub.c leaks the CoAP/DTLS socket descriptor on its connection-setup failure paths. The shared error: cleanup gated socket closing on a ret > 0 flag, but ret was set to -1 immediately after the socket was created, so when zsock_setsockopt() (DTLS) or zsock_connect() subsequently failed the gate was false and cleanup_connection() was never called. The open descriptor in the global ctx.sock was then overwritten by the next attempt, permanently leaking it from the socket / net_context pool until reboot. The failing setup path is reached every time the OTA client tries to contact the UpdateHub server and the connection cannot be established — driven automatically by the periodic autohandler() poll (and on demand via the updatehub_probe()/updatehub_update() API or the updatehub run shell command). The DTLS handshake/connect outcome is influenceable by a network or on-path attacker who drops, resets, or otherwise disrupts traffic to the server, and also fails naturally whenever the server is unreachable. Each failed attempt permanently leaks one descriptor; once the shared socket pool is exhausted, networking degrades device-wide until the device is rebooted, a denial-of-service condition. Severity is low because the leak rate is bounded by the configured OTA poll interval (default once per 24 hours), the effect is gradual and recovered by reboot, and only builds with the UpdateHub client enabled are affected. There is no memory-corruption, information-disclosure, or authentication impact.
AI Analysis
Technical Summary
The UpdateHub OTA client's start_coap_client() function in Zephyr leaks CoAP/DTLS socket descriptors on connection setup failures due to improper cleanup logic. Specifically, when socket creation fails and subsequent DTLS socket options or connection calls fail, the cleanup gate does not trigger, leaving the socket descriptor open and overwritten on the next attempt. This leak accumulates with each failed connection attempt, which occurs periodically via the OTA client's autohandler poll or on-demand API calls. The leak leads to exhaustion of the socket pool, causing device-wide networking degradation until reboot. The vulnerability is low severity because the leak rate is limited by the default 24-hour poll interval, the effect is gradual, and only devices with the UpdateHub client enabled are affected. There are no memory corruption, information disclosure, or authentication impacts.
Potential Impact
The vulnerability causes a denial-of-service condition by leaking socket descriptors on each failed connection attempt to the UpdateHub server. Over time, this exhausts the socket pool, degrading networking functionality device-wide until the device is rebooted. The leak rate is bounded by the OTA poll interval, so the impact is gradual rather than immediate. There are no impacts on confidentiality, integrity, or authentication.
Mitigation Recommendations
Patch status is not yet confirmed — check the vendor advisory for current remediation guidance. Until a fix is available, be aware that the leak occurs only if the UpdateHub client is enabled and connection attempts fail. Rebooting the device restores networking functionality by clearing leaked sockets. No other mitigation actions are specified.
CVE-2026-11811: dos in zephyrproject zephyr
Description
The UpdateHub over-the-air update client's start_coap_client() in subsys/mgmt/updatehub/updatehub.c leaks the CoAP/DTLS socket descriptor on its connection-setup failure paths. The shared error: cleanup gated socket closing on a ret > 0 flag, but ret was set to -1 immediately after the socket was created, so when zsock_setsockopt() (DTLS) or zsock_connect() subsequently failed the gate was false and cleanup_connection() was never called. The open descriptor in the global ctx.sock was then overwritten by the next attempt, permanently leaking it from the socket / net_context pool until reboot. The failing setup path is reached every time the OTA client tries to contact the UpdateHub server and the connection cannot be established — driven automatically by the periodic autohandler() poll (and on demand via the updatehub_probe()/updatehub_update() API or the updatehub run shell command). The DTLS handshake/connect outcome is influenceable by a network or on-path attacker who drops, resets, or otherwise disrupts traffic to the server, and also fails naturally whenever the server is unreachable. Each failed attempt permanently leaks one descriptor; once the shared socket pool is exhausted, networking degrades device-wide until the device is rebooted, a denial-of-service condition. Severity is low because the leak rate is bounded by the configured OTA poll interval (default once per 24 hours), the effect is gradual and recovered by reboot, and only builds with the UpdateHub client enabled are affected. There is no memory-corruption, information-disclosure, or authentication impact.
CVSS v3.1
Score 3.7low
Affected software
zephyrproject
zephyr
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AI-Powered Analysis
Machine-generated threat intelligence
Technical Analysis
The UpdateHub OTA client's start_coap_client() function in Zephyr leaks CoAP/DTLS socket descriptors on connection setup failures due to improper cleanup logic. Specifically, when socket creation fails and subsequent DTLS socket options or connection calls fail, the cleanup gate does not trigger, leaving the socket descriptor open and overwritten on the next attempt. This leak accumulates with each failed connection attempt, which occurs periodically via the OTA client's autohandler poll or on-demand API calls. The leak leads to exhaustion of the socket pool, causing device-wide networking degradation until reboot. The vulnerability is low severity because the leak rate is limited by the default 24-hour poll interval, the effect is gradual, and only devices with the UpdateHub client enabled are affected. There are no memory corruption, information disclosure, or authentication impacts.
Potential Impact
The vulnerability causes a denial-of-service condition by leaking socket descriptors on each failed connection attempt to the UpdateHub server. Over time, this exhausts the socket pool, degrading networking functionality device-wide until the device is rebooted. The leak rate is bounded by the OTA poll interval, so the impact is gradual rather than immediate. There are no impacts on confidentiality, integrity, or authentication.
Mitigation Recommendations
Patch status is not yet confirmed — check the vendor advisory for current remediation guidance. Until a fix is available, be aware that the leak occurs only if the UpdateHub client is enabled and connection attempts fail. Rebooting the device restores networking functionality by clearing leaked sockets. No other mitigation actions are specified.
Technical Details
- Data Version
- 5.2
- Assigner Short Name
- zephyr
- Date Reserved
- 2026-06-09T15:51:49.726Z
- Cvss Version
- 3.1
- State
- PUBLISHED
Threat ID: 6a7a5ac4bf8831d539b61153
Added to database: 08/10/2026, 23:12:04 UTC
Last enriched: 08/10/2026, 23:30:04 UTC
Last updated: 09/24/2026, 13:47:42 UTC
Views: 60
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