CVE-2026-127915

TLV iterator does not bound each entry against the declared TLV area in MCUboot bootutil

  • Low 2.0

Description

The MCUboot TLV iterator bootutil_tlv_iter_next() in boot/bootutil/src/tlv.c walks image trailer TLVs with a single loop guard (it->tlv_off < it->tlv_end) and advances by sizeof(struct image_tlv) + tlv.it_len using the attacker-controlled it_len field, without validating that the entry's header or payload stays within it->tlv_end. As a result the 4-byte header read can extend up to 3 bytes past the declared TLV area, and the returned (off, len) can describe a payload that runs past it. The path is pre-authentication: TLVs are parsed during bootutil_img_validate() before the signature is verified, and a crafted image can be presented through DFU / serial-recovery / OTA. However the impact is contained by surrounding guards: bootutil_img_validate() first rejects a TLV area larger than bootutil_max_image_size(), the default LOAD_IMAGE_DATA sink is flash_area_read() which bounds-checks against the flash partition and fails an out-of-partition read, and every payload consumer (EXPECTED_HASH_TLV, EXPECTED_KEY_TLV, EXPECTED_SIG_TLV, IMAGE_TLV_SEC_CNT) clamps len against a fixed buffer before copying. The residual effect in a default flash build is therefore an out-of-region read confined to the attacker's own slot partition whose result is never observable, yielding at worst a clean validation failure rather than memory corruption or information disclosure. A genuine (though still bounded) out-of-bounds read remains under the non-default MCUBOOT_RAM_LOAD configuration, where LOAD_IMAGE_DATA is an unchecked memcpy. The fix is to validate each entry's header and payload against it->tlv_end inside the iterator.

Key facts

Published
13 Nov 2026
Last changed
13 Nov 2026
Assigned by
zephyr
EPSS
0.146% likely to be exploited in the next 30 days, higher than 3.877% of CVEs (scores for 15 Nov 2026)

Severity scores

Each score is shown as its source gave it. They are not averaged or merged.

  • 2.0CVSS 3.1, Lowfrom the CNA (zephyr)CVSS:3.1/AV:P/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:L

Historical context and remediation

This reference retains the original CVE publication date. A recent record update does not mean a new attack occurred.

No separately sourced impact summary is available on this page yet. Consult the description, version data and dated exploitation evidence.

No explicit remediation statement is available on this page yet. Consult the original record and vendor references before choosing a fix.

Version statuses below come from the CNA. An “unaffected” version is not necessarily a currently supported release or proof of a patch date. EPSS is a dated risk estimate, not a count of historical attacks.

Read the original CVE record.

Affected products

VendorProductVersions
mcu-toolsmcuboot
  • Default status: unaffected
  • 0.9.0 up to but excluding 2.5.0 (affected)

Timeline

  1. 13 Nov 2026 Published

Weakness

References