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ArduplaneApplication · Ardupilot

CVE-2026-38971

CRITICAL · 9.1 CVSS v3.1 Published 2026-07-02
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to after 4.6.3 or later.
See remediation →
100/100
Remediation priority · Urgent
Public exploit Remotely reachable No privileges Zero-click Patch available 8 weeks old

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
ardupilot through Plane-4.6.3 was found to contain an out-of-bounds read issue in libraries/GCS_MAVLink/GCS_serial_control.cpp in GCS_MAVLINK::handle_serial_control().

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 · high confidence

ArduPilot through version Plane-4.6.3 contains an out-of-bounds read vulnerability in the GCS_MAVLINK::handle_serial_control() function in libraries/GCS_MAVLink/GCS_serial_control.cpp. This vulnerability allows reading memory outside the intended buffer bounds when processing MAVLink serial control messages, potentially enabling information disclosure or further exploitation.

MitigationUpgrade ArduPilot Plane to version 4.6.4 or later. If upgrading is not immediately feasible, implement input validation and bounds checking in the handle_serial_control() function to ensure all array accesses are within valid bounds before processing serial control messages.

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
ArduplaneApplication
Affected:<= 4.6.3

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
None
Availability
High

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/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. Identify installed ArduPilot Plane firmware version
    Connect to the flight controller via MAVLink and query the AUTOPILOT_VERSION parameter, or check the firmware binary/build artifacts for version information
    Affected if The version is 4.6.3 or lower (any version <= 4.6.3)
  2. Confirm the GCS_MAVLINK module is in use
    Verify that MAVLink communication is enabled and the serial link(s) are configured for MAVLink protocol. Check the SERIAL#_PROTOCOL parameters are set to MAVLink (typically value 2)
    Affected if MAVLink serial communication is active on any serial port
  3. Check if serial control messages are being processed
    Inspect the GCS_serial_control.cpp file in the deployed firmware build if accessible, or monitor MAVLink traffic for SERIAL_CONTROL messages (MAVLink message ID 126)
    Affected if The handle_serial_control() function is present in the compiled firmware and MAVLink serial control message handling is enabled

If the ArduPilot Plane firmware version is 4.6.3 or earlier AND MAVLink serial communication is active, the environment is affected by this out-of-bounds read vulnerability.

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.

dbcve · scoped
Upgrade available Upgrade to a release after 4.6.3
Vendor patch github.com →
Interim mitigation

Upgrade ArduPilot Plane to version 4.6.4 or later. If upgrading is not immediately feasible, implement input validation and bounds checking in the handle_serial_control() function to ensure all array accesses are within valid bounds before processing serial control messages.

Recommended fix Moderate confidence

ArduPlane 4.7.0 or later

  1. 1. Identify the current ArduPlane firmware version running on your vehicle
  2. 2. Check if the current version is 4.6.3 or earlier
  3. 3. Download or update to ArduPlane firmware version 4.7.0 or later from the official ArduPilot firmware repository (firmware.ardupilot.org)
  4. 4. Verify the fix by confirming the GCS_serial_control.cpp file contains the patch from PR #32587
  5. 5. After upgrading, test the MAVLink serial control functionality to ensure proper operation
  6. 6. Monitor for any unusual behavior or errors related to GCS_MAVLink communication
Caveat Review ArduPlane 4.7.0 release notes for any configuration or parameter changes that may affect your setup

Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.

Fix this in Arduplane Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation4.0 h
  • Implementation8.0 h
  • Testing8.0 h
  • Review / QA4.0 h
24.0 hours of engineering $4,160
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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-2026-38971 in production — separate from our analysis above.

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What belongs here
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  • Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
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