CVE-2024-33453
Official description Straight from the sourceThe vendor's or NVD's own wording, published unedited. Authoritative, but often terse — it says what broke, rarely what to do.
NVD · uneditedBuffer Overflow vulnerability in esp-idf v.5.1 allows a remote attacker to obtain sensitive information via the externalId component.
Technical summary Written by usOur analysis, written from the advisory, the CVSS vector and the affected-version data. It adds context the advisory leaves out, and never invents facts that are not in the source.
dbcve analysis · moderate confidenceBuffer overflow vulnerability in Espressif IoT Development Framework (esp-idf) v5.1 in the externalId component. A remote attacker can exploit improper bounds checking when processing externalId to overflow a buffer and obtain sensitive information from memory.
Verify against the referenced sources before acting — the references below are authoritative for this CVE, this summary is not.
Affected products & versions What the vendor confirmedThe version ranges the vendor confirmed as vulnerable. If your version sits inside a range here, treat yourself as exposed until you have upgraded.
NVD · CPE data= 5.1CVSS breakdown How the score is builtThe industry scoring standard. It rates how the flaw is reached, what it takes to exploit, and what an attacker gains — the score is derived from those, not the other way round.
From the vector- Attack vector
- Network
- Complexity
- Low
- Privileges
- Low
- User interaction
- None
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- High
- Integrity
- High
- Availability
- None
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:N
Am I affected? How to checkSteps we derive from the advisory and the affected-version data, so you can decide whether this CVE reaches your setup. They are a guide, not a scan — your own configuration is the authority.
dbcve checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Identify esp-idf versionRun 'idf.py --version' or check the installed esp-idf version through the esptool or the IDF_PATH version file. On systems with multiple IDF installations, verify which version is active in the current environment.Affected if The installed or linked esp-idf version is exactly 5.1 (v5.1). Versions other than 5.1 are not affected by this specific CVE.
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Locate externalId usage in projectSearch project source code and configuration files for references to 'externalId', 'external_id', or similar variants. Check device provisioning code, configuration manifests, and any JSON/protobuf files that define device identity attributes.Affected if The project code, configuration, or provisioning data structures reference or process an externalId field that gets passed to esp-idf APIs.
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Check externalId input handlingReview the code path that receives or processes externalId data. Look for functions that copy, parse, or deserialize externalId values into buffers. Search for uses of functions like memcpy, strcpy, strncpy, or similar buffer operations on externalId.Affected if The code performs buffer operations on externalId without proper bounds validation, such as using unbounded copy functions or failing to check length before writing.
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Inspect build configurationReview the project sdkconfig and build configuration files for any settings related to device identity, external ID handling, or provisioning modules. Check if the CONFIG_ESP_IDF_VERSION is set to v5.1.Affected if The build is configured with esp-idf v5.1 and includes provisioning or identity modules that handle externalId.
You are affected if your project uses esp-idf v5.1 and processes externalId data through code paths that perform buffer operations without proper length validation.
Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.
Remediation Closing itWhat it takes to close this. Where a vendor fix exists we point at it; where none exists we say so plainly, and can build one. Effort estimates are scoped from the advisory, not from your codebase.
From vendor dataUpdate to patched esp-idf version if available; otherwise review and fix code handling externalId to ensure proper bounds validation before buffer operations.
- Consultation4.0 h
- Implementation8.0 h
- Testing6.0 h
- Review / QA4.0 h
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Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2024-33453 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.
References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.
Primary sourcesPractitioner notes
ContributedPeer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2024-33453 in production — separate from our analysis above.
The advisory tells you what broke. It rarely tells you what actually worked. If you’ve dealt with this one, that detail is what the next engineer is searching for.
- The version that genuinely resolved it — not the one the vendor claimed
- A config change or rule that shut the vector down
- A gotcha in the upgrade path that cost you an afternoon
No notes yet
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- Verified mitigations, workarounds, and config changes
- Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
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