# CVE-2025-53888: Memory corruption in RIOT

> An attacker can trigger a buffer overflow in RIOT-OS link layer filtering by providing an oversized address length, potentially leading to code execution or denial of service.

- **Severity:** Medium 6.6 (`CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:N/UI:N/VC:N/VI:N/VA:H/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N/E:U`)
- **Exploited in the wild:** Not known
- **Login needed:** Not needed
- **Attackable:** Over the internet
- **Victim action needed:** Not needed
- **Fix available:** No
- **Published:** 18 Jul 2025
- **Updated:** 18 Jul 2025
- **Also known as:** GHSA-7972-w7f9-3j9m

## What is CVE-2025-53888?

CVE-2025-53888 is a medium-severity memory corruption vulnerability in RIOT-OS RIOT, published on 18 Jul 2025. An attacker can exploit it over the internet without logging in, with no action from the victim.

### Official description

RIOT-OS, an operating system that supports Internet of Things devices, has an ineffective size check implemented with `assert()` can lead to buffer overflow in versions up to and including 2025.04. Assertions are usually compiled out in production builds. If assertions are the only defense against untrusted inputs, the software may be exposed to attacks that utilize the lack of proper input checks. In the `l2filter_add()` function shown below, `addr_len` is checked using an assertion and is subsequently used as an argument in a `memcpy()` call. When assertions are disabled, there would be no size check for `addr_len`. As a consequence, if an attacker were to provide an `addr_len` value larger than `CONFIG_L2FILTER_ADDR_MAXLEN`, they can trigger a buffer overflow and write past the `list[i].addr` buffer. If the unchecked input is attacker-controlled, the impact of the buffer overflow can range from a denial of service to arbitrary code execution. Commit f6f7de4ccc107c018630e4c15500825caf02e1c2 contains a patch for the vulnerability.

Weakness: CWE-120 (Buffer Copy without Checking Size of Input)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2025-53888?

It affects 1 product.


Products: Riot-Os Riot.

## How do I fix CVE-2025-53888?

No fix has been published for CVE-2025-53888 yet. Limit exposure of the affected software until one is available.

## Is CVE-2025-53888 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2025-53888 in the wild and no public exploit code.

## Other vulnerabilities in RIOT-OS RIOT

- [CVE-2024-32017](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2024-32017/): Buffer overflows in RIOT (critical 9.8)
- [CVE-2023-33975](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2023-33975/): RIOT-OS vulnerable to Out of Bounds Write in _rbuf_add (critical 9.8)
- [CVE-2023-24819](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2023-24819/): RIOT-OS vulnerable to Buffer Overflow during IPHC receive (critical 9.8)
- [CVE-2023-24823](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2023-24823/): RIOT-OS vulnerable to Packet Type Confusion during IPHC send (critical 9.8)
- [CVE-2021-27357](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2021-27357/): Memory corruption in n/a (critical 9.8)

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2025-53888 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2025-53888 is a medium-severity memory corruption vulnerability in RIOT-OS RIOT, published on 18 Jul 2025. 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-2025-53888 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Affected product: RIOT-OS RIOT. 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-2025-53888/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2025-53888/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2025-53888
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2025-53888
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2025-53888

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2025-53888/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.