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Core Flight SystemApplication · Nasa

CVE-2026-5474

HIGH · 8.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2026-04-03
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to after 7.0.0 or later.
See remediation →
93/100
Remediation priority · Urgent
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
A vulnerability was found in NASA cFS up to 7.0.0. This affects the function CFE_MSG_GetSize of the file apps/to_lab/fsw/src/to_lab_passthru_encode.c of the component CCSDS Packet Header Handler. Performing a manipulation results in heap-based buffer overflow. The attacker must have access to the local network to execute the attack. The project was informed of the problem early through an issue report but has not responded yet.

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

Heap-based buffer overflow in NASA cFS (up to 7.0.0) in the CFE_MSG_GetSize function within to_lab_passthru_encode.c. The overflow occurs in the CCSDS Packet Header Handler when processing packet sizes without proper bounds validation before writing to heap-allocated buffers.

MitigationImplement proper size validation in CFE_MSG_GetSize to ensure packet size claims do not exceed buffer allocations; add bounds checking before heap writes and validate CCSDS packet header length fields against actual buffer sizes.

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
Core Flight SystemApplication
Affected:<= 7.0.0

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

CVSS:3.1/AV:A/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 checks

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

  1. Identify cFS installation and version
    Locate the cFS installation directory and check for version information in release notes, version headers, or the cFS README file. Common locations include /opt/cfs, /cfs, or within the user's home directory.
    Affected if The installed version is 7.0.0 or any version number lower than 7.0.0, as all versions up to and including 7.0.0 are affected.
  2. Locate the vulnerable to_lab_passthru_encode.c component
    Search the cFS source tree for the file to_lab_passthru_encode.c. Use 'find . -name to_lab_passthru_encode.c' from the cFS root directory.
    Affected if The file exists in the cFS deployment, indicating the to_lab sample application is included in the build.
  3. Check if the to_lab app is built and deployed
    Look for the compiled to_lab application binary in the cFS bin directory (commonly cfs/bin or similar). Also check the cFS startup script for references to 'to_lab' in the loaded applications list.
    Affected if The to_lab application binary is present and loaded at runtime, enabling the vulnerable code path.
  4. Determine if CCSDS packet processing is active
    Review the to_lab application configuration file and runtime parameters to see if CCSDS packet reception and decoding is enabled. Check for any packet handler or network listener configuration.
    Affected if CCSDS packet handling is enabled and the system is configured to process incoming packets through the vulnerable function.
  5. Assess network exposure of the cFS system
    Identify network interfaces and listening services on the cFS host. Check if the cFS network interface is accessible from untrusted networks or directly exposed.
    Affected if The cFS system is reachable from local network segments where untrusted attackers could send crafted CCSDS packets to the target.

The environment is affected if cFS version 7.0.0 or lower is deployed with the to_lab sample application compiled and running, CCSDS packet processing is enabled, and the system is accessible from a network where attackers can deliver malicious packets.

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
Upgrade available Upgrade to a release after 7.0.0
Interim mitigation

Implement proper size validation in CFE_MSG_GetSize to ensure packet size claims do not exceed buffer allocations; add bounds checking before heap writes and validate CCSDS packet header length fields against actual buffer sizes.

Fix this in Core Flight System Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation6.0 h
  • Implementation12.0 h
  • Testing8.0 h
  • Review / QA6.0 h
32.0 hours of engineering $5,640
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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-2026-5474 in production — separate from our analysis above.

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What this is

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What belongs here
  • Verified mitigations, workarounds, and config changes
  • Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
  • No weaponised exploit code, or anything meant to cause harm
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