Stack-based Buffer OverflowWeakness · CWE-121

CVE-2024-51395

MEDIUM · 6.2 CVSS v3.1 Published 2026-05-13
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
67/100
Remediation priority · Elevated
No privileges Zero-click

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 · unedited
Buffer Overflow vulnerability in Ardupiot Copter Latest commit 92693e023793133e49a035daf37c14433e484778 allows a local attacker to cause a denial of service via the AP_SmartAudio::loop, AP_SmartAudio, AP_SmartAudio.cpp components.

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 confidence

Buffer overflow vulnerability in AP_SmartAudio.cpp component of Ardupilot Copter firmware. The issue exists in the AP_SmartAudio::loop function which handles SmartAudio protocol (used for video transmitter control in FPV drones). A local attacker can trigger the overflow to cause denial of service.

MitigationImplement proper bounds checking in AP_SmartAudio::loop and related functions to prevent buffer overflows. Update to the patched commit once available and verify the fix does not introduce regressions in SmartAudio functionality.

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
Local
Complexity
Low
Privileges
None
User interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
None
Integrity
None
Availability
High

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

Work through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.

  1. Verify SmartAudio feature is enabled
    Check Ardupilot firmware configuration parameters or build settings for SmartAudio support. Look for enable flags like SMART_AUDIO_ENABLE or equivalent configuration options in the firmware build or parameter file.
    Affected if SmartAudio feature is compiled into or enabled in the firmware configuration
  2. Confirm SmartAudio protocol is actively configured
    Inspect the flight controller parameters or runtime configuration for active SmartAudio settings. On FPV drones, this typically involves checking for SMART_AUDIO parameter or related VTX configuration that enables the SmartAudio protocol handler.
    Affected if SmartAudio protocol is actively configured on the device (even if not actively communicating, the code path exists in memory)
  3. Locate AP_SmartAudio.cpp in firmware
    If you have access to the firmware binary or source: verify the presence of AP_SmartAudio.cpp and specifically the loop function within the build. In compiled firmware, check for symbols related to AP_SmartAudio::loop.
    Affected if The vulnerable AP_SmartAudio.cpp component with the loop function is present in the deployed firmware build
  4. Compare installed firmware version
    Query the flight controller for its firmware version using ground station software (Mission Planner, QGroundControl) or check the firmware binary filename/version string.
    Affected if The running firmware version predates the CVE-2024-51395 patch date (no specific version numbers were provided in the CVE summary, so any pre-patch Copter firmware with SmartAudio is potentially affected)

A user is affected if their Ardupilot Copter firmware contains the AP_SmartAudio::loop function and has SmartAudio protocol support enabled in the configuration.

Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.

Check your environment

Paste your version and any relevant configuration and it will be compared against the affected criteria above. Do not include secrets or credentials.

AI-assisted, checked against the advisory. Informational, not a guarantee.

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 data
Mitigation available No clean upgrade yet — mitigate in the meantime
Mitigation

Implement proper bounds checking in AP_SmartAudio::loop and related functions to prevent buffer overflows. Update to the patched commit once available and verify the fix does not introduce regressions in SmartAudio functionality.

Have this fixed Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation3.0 h
  • Implementation6.0 h
  • Testing5.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
16.0 hours of engineering $2,790
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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 sources

Practitioner notes

Contributed

Peer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2024-51395 in production — separate from our analysis above.

No notes yet

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What this is

A place for practitioners to share what actually worked: a mitigation you’ve tested, a configuration change, a version- or environment-specific caveat, or a link to a verified patch. The most useful notes rise to the top as peers upvote them, so the signal stays high.

What belongs here
  • Verified mitigations, workarounds, and config changes
  • Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
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