VulnerabilityPublished 23 Mar 2026Updated 25 Mar 2026

CVE-2026-33282: ellanetworks core · NULL Pointer Dereference

Affects ellanetworks coreSource CVE Database V5

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Not known to be exploited · CVSS 7.5 High : upgrade to 1.6.0 soon.

Data as of 30 Oct 2026, 11:52 UTC

CVSS 3.1 base score

7.5High

How severe the flaw is on the 0–10 CVSS scale.

EPSS: 0.4% chance of exploitation in 30 days – higher than 35% of CVEsExploit Prediction Scoring System: the likelihood attackers will use this flaw soon.
Patch: Available – fixed in 1.6.0

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H

Attack Vector: Network
Attack Complexity: Low
Privileges Required: None
User Interaction: None
Scope: Unchanged
Confidentiality: None
Integrity: None
Availability: High

Bold values are the worst case: easiest to exploit or largest impact.

Attack Vector: Network: The vulnerable component is bound to the network stack and the set of possible attackers extends beyond the other options listed, up to and including the entire Internet. Such a vulnerability is often termed 'remotely exploitable' and can be thought of as an attack being exploitable at the protocol level one or more network hops away (e.g., across one or more routers).
Attack Complexity: Low: Specialized access conditions or extenuating circumstances do not exist. An attacker can expect repeatable success against the vulnerable component.
Privileges Required: None: The attacker is unauthorized prior to attack, and therefore does not require any access to settings or files to carry out an attack.
User Interaction: None: The vulnerable system can be exploited without any interaction from any user.
Scope: Unchanged: An exploited vulnerability can only affect resources managed by the same security authority. In this case, the vulnerable component and the impacted component are either the same, or both are managed by the same security authority.
Confidentiality: None: There is no loss of confidentiality within the impacted component.
Integrity: None: There is no loss of integrity within the impacted component.
Availability: High: There is total loss of availability, resulting in the attacker being able to fully deny access to resources in the impacted component; this loss is either sustained (while the attacker continues to deliver the attack) or persistent (the condition persists even after the attack has completed). Alternatively, the attacker has the ability to deny some availability, but the loss of availability presents a direct, serious consequence to the impacted component (e.g., the attacker cannot disrupt existing connections, but can prevent new connections; the attacker can repeatedly exploit a vulnerability that, in each instance of a successful attack, leaks a only small amount of memory, but after repeated exploitation causes a service to become completely unavailable).

Definitions: FIRST CVSS v3.1 specification.

Exploitation evidence

Disclosed: evidence found.
CVE published 23 Mar 2026
Detectable: no evidence on record.
No public nuclei template indexed
Weaponized: 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 30 Oct 2026.

Disclosed: The CVE record is public on cve.org. Its publication is t = 0.
Detectable: A public nuclei template can find exposed instances, for defenders and attackers alike.
Weaponized: A Metasploit exploit module or Exploit-DB entry exists (Metasploit scanner modules do not count), or CISA SSVC or the CVSS exploit maturity reports a public proof of concept.
Exploited in the wild: CISA KEV lists it, CISA SSVC rates exploitation active, or a source reports attacks.
Observed by OffSeq Mirage: OffSeq Mirage honeypot sensors recorded attack traffic for this CVE, or found exposed hosts without attack traffic.

Moments are spaced evenly, not to scale; a dashed line marks a gap of six months or more. Deltas count from t = 0. Sources that give only a date (CISA KEV, Exploit-DB, or a time of exactly 00:00Z) read “same day” rather than hours. Metasploit modules carry the flaw’s disclosure date, not their release date, and nuclei templates carry no date, so both appear above but not on the timeline.

What to do

Upgrade core and ellanetworks/core to 1.6.0.

Affected software

Product	Affected	Fixed in
ellanetworkscore	Affected <1.6.0	Fixed in 1.6.0
GitHubellanetworks/core`pkg:github/ellanetworks/core`Other threats	Affected <1.6.0	Fixed in 1.6.0

Check your own hosts for these packages with threat-finder (opens in a new tab), our free open-source scanner.

AI-suggested

Organizations using Ella Core versions prior to 1.6.0 should prioritize upgrading to version 1.6.0 or later, where the vulnerability is patched by adding IE presence verification in NGAP message processing. Until upgrade is possible, network operators should implement strict NGAP message filtering and validation at network ingress points to block malformed or suspicious LocationReport messages, especially those with the 'ue-presence-in-area-of-interest' event type missing the optional IE. Deploying anomaly detection systems to monitor NGAP traffic for irregularities can help identify exploitation attempts. Network segmentation and limiting exposure of the NGAP interface to trusted entities reduce the attack surface. Additionally, maintaining up-to-date logging and alerting on core process crashes can enable rapid detection and response to potential exploitation attempts. Collaboration with the vendor for any interim patches or workarounds is advised.

Description

Ella Core is a 5G core designed for private networks. Versions prior to 1.6.0 panic when processing a malformed NGAP LocationReport message with `ue-presence-in-area-of-interest` event type and omitting the optional `UEPresenceInAreaOfInterestList` IE. An attacker able to send crafted NGAP messages to Ella Core can crash the process, causing service disruption for all connected subscribers. No authentication is required. Version 1.6.0 added IE presence verification to NGAP message handling.

Impact

The primary impact of CVE-2026-33282 is a denial-of-service condition affecting the availability of 5G core network services managed by Ella Core versions prior to 1.6.0. Since the core handles subscriber sessions and signaling, a crash can interrupt connectivity for all users relying on the affected private network, potentially halting critical communications and business operations. This can be particularly damaging in environments where private 5G networks support industrial automation, healthcare, public safety, or other mission-critical applications. The lack of required authentication lowers the barrier for attackers, increasing the risk of exploitation by malicious actors or even accidental triggering by malformed messages. However, the vulnerability does not compromise confidentiality or integrity of data. The scope is limited to deployments using vulnerable Ella Core versions, but given the growing adoption of private 5G networks globally, the potential impact is significant for organizations relying on this technology.

CWE-476NULL Pointer Dereference (opens in a new tab)
Base weaknessLikelihood of exploit: MediumCWE Top 25 (2025): #13OWASP Top 10 A10:2025: Mishandling of Exceptional Conditions (opens in a new tab)
The product dereferences a pointer that it expects to be valid but is NULL.
Implementation
For any pointers that could have been modified or provided from a function that can return NULL, check the pointer for NULL before use. When working with a multithreaded or otherwise asynchronous environment, ensure that proper locking APIs are used to lock before the check, and unlock when it has finished.
Requirements
Select a programming language that is not susceptible to these issues.
Implementation
Check the results of all functions that return a value and verify that the value is non-null before acting upon it.
OWASP Cheat Sheets
Logging (opens in a new tab)
Error Handling (opens in a new tab)
OWASP ASVS 4.0.3
V11.1.7 (opens in a new tab)
From MITRE CWE, MITRE CAPEC and OWASP (Top 10, OpenCRE).

References

github.com/ellanetworks/core/security/advisories/GHSA-826q-wrq4-p23x (opens in a new tab)

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Exploitation evidence

What to do

Affected software

Description

AI analysisMachine-generated, updated 31 Mar 2026, 20:11 UTC

WeaknessesCWE-476

Technical details

References

Community reviews

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