# CVE-2024-47181: Unaligned memory access in RPL option processing in Contiki-NG

> Attackers can crash IoT devices running Contiki-NG by sending crafted IPv6 packets with odd padding before RPL options, causing unaligned memory access.

- **Severity:** High 7.5 (`CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H`)
- **Exploited in the wild:** Not known
- **Login needed:** Not needed
- **Attackable:** Over the internet
- **Victim action needed:** Not needed
- **Fix available:** No
- **Published:** 27 Nov 2024
- **Updated:** 27 Nov 2024
- **Also known as:** GHSA-crjw-x84h-h6x3

## What is CVE-2024-47181?

CVE-2024-47181 is a high-severity denial of service vulnerability in contiki-ng, published on 27 Nov 2024. An attacker can exploit it over the internet without logging in, with no action from the victim.

### Official description

Contiki-NG is an open-source, cross-platform operating system for IoT devices. An unaligned memory access can be triggered in the two RPL implementations of the Contiki-NG operating system. The problem can occur when either one of these RPL implementations is enabled and connected to an RPL instance. If an IPv6 packet containing an odd number of padded bytes before the RPL option, it can cause the rpl_ext_header_hbh_update function to read a 16-bit integer from an odd address. The impact of this unaligned read is architecture-dependent, but can potentially cause the system to crash. The problem has not been patched as of release 4.9, but will be included in the next release. One can apply the changes in Contiki-NG pull request #2962 to patch the system or wait for the next release.

Weakness: CWE-704 (Incorrect Type Conversion or Cast)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2024-47181?

It affects 1 product.


Products: Contiki-Ng Contiki-Ng.

## How do I fix CVE-2024-47181?

No fix has been published for CVE-2024-47181 yet. Limit exposure of the affected software until one is available.

## Is CVE-2024-47181 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2024-47181 in the wild and no public exploit code.

## Other vulnerabilities in contiki-ng

- [CVE-2018-19417](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2018-19417/): Memory corruption in n/a (critical 10.0)
- [CVE-2023-30546](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2023-30546/): Contiki-NG has off-by-one error in Antelope DBMS (critical 9.8)
- [CVE-2020-24336](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2020-24336/): Memory corruption in n/a (critical 9.8)
- [CVE-2020-14934](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2020-14934/): Memory corruption in n/a (critical 9.8)
- [CVE-2020-14935](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2020-14935/): Memory corruption in n/a (critical 9.8)

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2024-47181 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2024-47181 is a high-severity denial of service vulnerability in contiki-ng, published on 27 Nov 2024. An attacker can exploit it over the internet without logging in, with no action from the victim.
Exploitation: There is no known exploitation of CVE-2024-47181 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Affected product: contiki-ng. No package-level version data is available, so check the vendor advisory linked from the reference page.

Task:
1. Search the dependency manifests and lockfiles (for example package.json, package-lock.json, requirements.txt, poetry.lock, uv.lock, pom.xml, build.gradle, go.mod, Cargo.lock, Gemfile.lock) and any Dockerfiles for the affected packages, including transitive dependencies.
2. If an affected version is in use, upgrade it to the fixed version for its release line with the project's package manager, so the lockfile is regenerated. Prefer the smallest upgrade that fixes it.
3. If there is no fix, or the upgrade would break the build, do not guess: explain the risk and the safest workaround instead.
4. Run the tests and summarise what changed and why.
5. If nothing in the project is affected, say so and change nothing.

Reference: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2024-47181/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2024-47181/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2024-47181
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2024-47181
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2024-47181

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2024-47181/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.