CVE-2026-44322 free5GC's NEF 3gpp-pfd-management PATCH applications/{appId} panics on UDR access failure due to nil ProblemDetails dereference
An attacker can cause a denial of service in free5GC NEF by triggering a panic via a specific PATCH request when UDR access fails.
- Exploited in the wild
- Not known
- Login needed
- Not needed
- Attackable
- Over the internet
- Victim action needed
- Not needed
- Fix
- Available
What is CVE-2026-44322?
CVE-2026-44322 is a high-severity vulnerability in Free5gc Free5gc, published on 27 May 2026. An attacker can exploit it over the internet without logging in, with no action from the victim.
Official description
free5GC is an open-source implementation of the 5G core network. Prior to 4.2.2, free5GC's NEF PATCH /3gpp-pfd-management/v1/{afId}/transactions/{transId}/applications/{appId} handler panics with a nil-pointer dereference when the upstream UDR call fails AND the consumer wrapper returns err != nil together with a nil *ProblemDetails. The handler's errPfdData != nil branch builds its own problemDetailsErr correctly, but immediately after it reads problemDetails.Cause (the OTHER value, which is nil in this branch) and panics. Gin recovery converts the panic into HTTP 500, so a single PATCH against this endpoint returns 500 instead of the intended controlled error response whenever UDR access is failing. This vulnerability is fixed in 4.2.2.
Which versions are affected by CVE-2026-44322?
3 open source packages ship an affected version, including github.com/free5gc/nef. It affects 1 product.
| Package | Affected | Fixed in |
|---|---|---|
github.com/free5gc/nef Go | All versions | 1.2.3 |
github.com/free5gc/nef Go | All versions | 1.2.3 |
github.com/free5gc/nef Go | All versions | 1.2.3 |
Products include Free5gc Free5gc.
How do I fix CVE-2026-44322?
Upgrade github.com/free5gc/nef to 1.2.3 or later.
Is CVE-2026-44322 being exploited?
It is not confirmed as exploited in the wild, but public exploit code for CVE-2026-44322 exists.
Other vulnerabilities in Free5gc Free5gc
- CVE-2026-44327 free5GC: NEF nnef-oam route group is unauthenticated; no-token requests reach the OAM handler
- CVE-2026-44329 free5GC's SMF UPI management interface lacks auth middleware; unauthenticated topology read/write requests reach handlers
- CVE-2026-44330 free5GC's NEF nnef-pfdmanagement API is unauthenticated; forged bearer tokens can read PFD data and create/delete PFD subscriptions
- CVE-2025-63679 Memory corruption in n/a
- CVE-2026-44315 free5GC's NEF 3gpp-pfd-management API is unauthenticated; forged bearer tokens can create, read, and delete PFD transactions
Sources
Also known as GHSA-j59f-x285-69jx, GO-2026-5447.