CVE-2024-37861
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 · uneditedOpen Robotics Robotic Operating System 2 (ROS2) and Nav2 humble versions were discovered to contain a buffer overflow via the nav2_amcl process. This vulnerability is triggered via sending a crafted .yaml file.
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 confidenceA buffer overflow vulnerability exists in the nav2_amcl (Adaptive Monte Carlo Localization) process of ROS2 and Nav2 humble versions. The vulnerability is triggered by processing a maliciously crafted .yaml configuration file, which can cause memory corruption and potentially allow arbitrary code execution.
Verify against the referenced sources before acting — the references below are authoritative for this CVE, this summary is not.
CVSS 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
- None
- User interaction
- None
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- High
- Integrity
- High
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
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 nav2_amcl package installationRun 'ros2 pkg list | grep -i amcl' or 'ros2 pkg list | grep -i nav2' to list installed navigation packages. Then check version with 'ros2 pkg version <package_name>' if available, or inspect /opt/ros/humble/share/nav2_amcl/package.xmlAffected if The nav2_amcl package is installed and its version falls within Nav2 humble release range without patches applied
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Verify if amcl node is runningRun 'ros2 node list' to list active nodes, then 'ros2 node info /amcl' if found. Also check with 'ros2 process list' for any amcl-related processesAffected if The amcl node is actively running and processing configuration parameters
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Locate YAML configuration files used by amclInspect launch files or parameter files: run 'ros2 param dump /amcl' to see current parameters, check launch files in the workspace (typically .launch.py or .launch.xml files) that load YAML configs for amcl, look for 'amcl' parameter file declarationsAffected if YAML configuration files are being loaded by the amcl node without validation
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Check amcl parameter loading mechanismExamine how parameters are loaded: look for 'ros2 param load' commands, check launch file arguments for 'params' file paths, inspect if YAML files are loaded from network or writable locationsAffected if YAML files are loaded from untrusted sources or without schema validation before being passed to amcl
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Assess network exposure of amcl serviceRun 'ros2 topic list' to see exposed topics. Check if DDS/RMW network settings allow remote connections. Inspect if the system is on a shared network where untrusted YAML files could be injectedAffected if The ROS2 domain/network is accessible to untrusted systems and amcl accepts remote parameter updates
You are affected if Nav2 humble with nav2_amcl is running and processes YAML configuration files without validation, especially if the ROS2 network is accessible to untrusted parties.
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 dataUpgrade to patched versions of Nav2 humble and ROS2 when available. Until then, ensure only trusted .yaml configuration files are loaded into nav2_amcl and implement network segmentation to limit exposure.
- Consultation4.0 h
- Implementation8.0 h
- Testing6.0 h
- Review / QA3.0 h
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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-2024-37861 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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- Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
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