CVE-2026-44321: free5gc Missing Auth

Description

free5GC is an open-source implementation of the 5G core network. Prior to 4.2.2, free5GC's SMF mounts the UPI management route group without inbound OAuth2 middleware. The POST /upi/v1/upNodesLinks create-or-update handler accepts attacker-controlled JSON and passes it directly into UpNodesFromConfiguration(), which calls logger.InitLog.Fatalf(...) on several validation failures. One confirmed path is the UE-IP-pool overlap check: a single unauthenticated POST that adds a new UPF whose pool overlaps an existing UPF terminates the entire SMF process (docker ps shows Exited (1)), not just the goroutine. This vulnerability is fixed in 4.2.2.

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CVSS v3.1 Score

7.5

HIGH

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H

EPSS — Exploit Prediction

0.0034

Probability of exploitation

0.25%

Percentile rank

EPSS estimates the probability that this vulnerability will be exploited in the wild within the next 30 days. A higher score means more likely to be exploited.

Weakness Type (CWE)

CWE-306 Missing Authentication

CWE-617 CWE-617

CWE-862 Missing Authorization

Affected Products

Vendor	Product	Versions
free5gc	free5gc	< 4.2.2

References

Advisories & Patches

https://github.com/free5gc/free5gc/security/advisories/GHSA-44qj-cghf-9p97 https://github.com/free5gc/smf/commit/e0974e07ddab44a67d36a563cca383b2449e33e5 https://github.com/free5gc/smf/pull/203 https://github.com/free5gc/free5gc/security/advisories/GHSA-44qj-cghf-9p97

Exploits

https://github.com/free5gc/free5gc/issues/906 https://github.com/free5gc/free5gc/security/advisories/GHSA-44qj-cghf-9p97 https://github.com/free5gc/free5gc/security/advisories/GHSA-44qj-cghf-9p97

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2026-44321? +

free5GC is an open-source implementation of the 5G core network. Prior to 4.2.2, free5GC's SMF mounts the UPI management route group without inbound OAuth2 middleware. The POST /upi/v1/upNodesLinks create-or-update handler accepts attacker-controlled JSON and passes it directly into UpNodesFromConfiguration(), which calls logger.InitLog.Fatalf(...) on several validation failures. One confirmed path is the UE-IP-pool overlap check: a single unauthenticated POST that adds a new UPF whose pool overlaps an existing UPF terminates the entire SMF process (docker ps shows Exited (1)), not just the goroutine. This vulnerability is fixed in 4.2.2. It has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 7.5 (HIGH).

How severe is CVE-2026-44321? +

CVE-2026-44321 has a CVSS v3.1 score of 7.5 out of 10, rated HIGH. This is a high-severity vulnerability that should be prioritized for patching. The EPSS score is 0.0034, placing it in the 0th percentile for exploitation probability.

What products are affected by CVE-2026-44321? +

CVE-2026-44321 affects products from free5gc, specifically: free5gc. Check the affected products table above for specific version ranges.

How do I check if I'm vulnerable to CVE-2026-44321? +

You can use Secably's free Website Scanner to check your website for known vulnerabilities. For infrastructure scanning, use the Port Scanner to identify exposed services that may be affected. Check the vendor advisories linked above for specific patch and version information.

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