CVE-2026-44474 Ella Core: Handover failures during concurrent Security Mode Command
Attackers can cause handover failures in Ella Core 5G networks by exploiting a race condition between security commands and handovers, leading to service disruption.
- Exploited in the wild
- Not known
- Login needed
- Any signed-in user
- Attackable
- Local or same network only
- Victim action needed
- Not needed
- Fix
- Available
What is CVE-2026-44474?
CVE-2026-44474 is a low-severity vulnerability in ellanetworks core, published on 27 May 2026. It can only be exploited from the same machine or local network, with no action from the victim.
Official description
Ella Core is a 5G core designed for private networks. Prior to 1.10.0, Ella Core didn't enforce security rules on concurrent running of security procedures defined in TS 33.501 §6.9.5.1 — it could send a NAS Security Mode Command while an N2 handover was still pending (and vice versa). Concurrent Security Mode Command and N2 handover produce a KgNB mismatch between the UE and target gNB, causing the handover to fail. Requires a stalled gNB + re-registration race to trigger. This vulnerability is fixed in 1.10.0.
Weakness: CWE-358
Which versions are affected by CVE-2026-44474?
3 open source packages ship an affected version, including github.com/ellanetworks/core.
| Package | Affected | Fixed in |
|---|---|---|
github.com/ellanetworks/core Go | All versions | 1.10.0 |
github.com/ellanetworks/core Go | All versions | 1.10.0 |
github.com/ellanetworks/core Go | All versions | 1.10.0 |
How do I fix CVE-2026-44474?
Upgrade github.com/ellanetworks/core to 1.10.0 or later.
Is CVE-2026-44474 being exploited?
There is no known exploitation of CVE-2026-44474 in the wild and no public exploit code.
Sources
Also known as GHSA-mc29-hmx6-856q, GO-2026-5502.