CVE-2026-5072: Vulnerability in zephyrproject-rtos Zephyr
A bitwise shift vulnerability in Zephyr's PTP subsystem allows a remote attacker to cause undefined behavior and potential system crashes. An attacker sends a crafted PTP_MSG_MANAGEMENT message to set an unvalidated negative log_announce_interval value in the port's data set. When a subsequent PTP_MSG_ANNOUNCE message is processed, port_timer_set_timeout_random computes a timeout as NSEC_PER_SEC >> -log_seconds; if the attacker-supplied value is sufficiently negative (e.g., -127), the shift amount exceeds the 64-bit integer width, triggering undefined behavior in C. This can cause a system crash via a compiler-generated illegal instruction trap on some architectures, or produce an erroneous zero timeout leading to resource starvation loops or other logical errors.
AI Analysis
Technical Summary
This vulnerability arises from improper validation of the log_announce_interval parameter in Zephyr's Precision Time Protocol (PTP) subsystem. An attacker can remotely send a malicious PTP_MSG_MANAGEMENT message to set a negative log_announce_interval value. When the system processes a PTP_MSG_ANNOUNCE message, it performs a bitwise right shift operation (NSEC_PER_SEC >> -log_seconds) where the shift amount can exceed the 64-bit integer width, causing undefined behavior in C. This can trigger a crash via an illegal instruction trap on some architectures or cause erroneous zero timeouts leading to resource starvation or other logical faults.
Potential Impact
The vulnerability can cause denial of service through system crashes or resource starvation loops. It does not impact confidentiality or integrity but results in availability issues. There are no known exploits in the wild at this time.
Mitigation Recommendations
Patch status is not yet confirmed — check the vendor advisory for current remediation guidance. No official fix or temporary workaround has been published. Until a patch is available, users should consider restricting or monitoring PTP message sources to reduce exposure to crafted messages that exploit this vulnerability.
CVE-2026-5072: Vulnerability in zephyrproject-rtos Zephyr
Description
A bitwise shift vulnerability in Zephyr's PTP subsystem allows a remote attacker to cause undefined behavior and potential system crashes. An attacker sends a crafted PTP_MSG_MANAGEMENT message to set an unvalidated negative log_announce_interval value in the port's data set. When a subsequent PTP_MSG_ANNOUNCE message is processed, port_timer_set_timeout_random computes a timeout as NSEC_PER_SEC >> -log_seconds; if the attacker-supplied value is sufficiently negative (e.g., -127), the shift amount exceeds the 64-bit integer width, triggering undefined behavior in C. This can cause a system crash via a compiler-generated illegal instruction trap on some architectures, or produce an erroneous zero timeout leading to resource starvation loops or other logical errors.
CVSS v3.1
Score 6.5medium
Affected software
pkg:github/zephyrproject-rtos/zephyrRun on your own infrastructure? Check whether these packages are installed with threat-finder — our free open-source scanner.
Weaknesses
AI-Powered Analysis
Machine-generated threat intelligence
Technical Analysis
This vulnerability arises from improper validation of the log_announce_interval parameter in Zephyr's Precision Time Protocol (PTP) subsystem. An attacker can remotely send a malicious PTP_MSG_MANAGEMENT message to set a negative log_announce_interval value. When the system processes a PTP_MSG_ANNOUNCE message, it performs a bitwise right shift operation (NSEC_PER_SEC >> -log_seconds) where the shift amount can exceed the 64-bit integer width, causing undefined behavior in C. This can trigger a crash via an illegal instruction trap on some architectures or cause erroneous zero timeouts leading to resource starvation or other logical faults.
Potential Impact
The vulnerability can cause denial of service through system crashes or resource starvation loops. It does not impact confidentiality or integrity but results in availability issues. There are no known exploits in the wild at this time.
Mitigation Recommendations
Patch status is not yet confirmed — check the vendor advisory for current remediation guidance. No official fix or temporary workaround has been published. Until a patch is available, users should consider restricting or monitoring PTP message sources to reduce exposure to crafted messages that exploit this vulnerability.
Technical Details
- Data Version
- 5.2
- Assigner Short Name
- zephyr
- Date Reserved
- 2026-03-27T23:46:06.666Z
- Cvss Version
- null
- State
- PUBLISHED
- Remediation Level
- null
Threat ID: 6a10096fe1370fbb48c6516f
Added to database: 05/22/2026, 07:44:47 UTC
Last enriched: 05/29/2026, 20:35:15 UTC
Last updated: 07/31/2026, 19:22:59 UTC
Views: 154
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