NULL pointer dereference in Free5gc Smf
CVE-2026-25501
free5GC SMF provides Session Management Function for free5GC, an open-source project for 5th generation (5G) mobile core networks. In versions up to and including 1.4.1, SMF panics due to nil pointer dereference and the SMF process terminates. This is triggered by a malformed PFCP SessionReportRequest on the SMF PFCP (UDP/8805) interface. No known upstream fix is available, but some workarounds are available. ACL/firewall the PFCP interface so only trusted UPF IPs can reach SMF (reduce spoofing/abuse surface); drop/inspect malformed PFCP SessionReportRequest messages at the network edge where feasible, and/or add recover() around PFCP handler dispatch to avoid whole-process termination (mitigation only).
Published · last modified .
CVSS v3 metric
CVSS v3 base score 7.5 (High). Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H.
EPSS exploit prediction
EPSS: 0.005 (41.4th percentile), scored .
Very low probability of exploitation in the next 30 days; routine patching cadence is appropriate. 41st percentile — 41.4% of CVEs in the catalogue have a lower EPSS than this one. How to read EPSS.
EPSS over last 30 days · oldest: 0.003 · newest: 0.005 · change: +0.002
Affected products
- Free5gc Smf — versions <= 1.4.1
Weakness classification (CWE)
References
- github.com/free5gc/free5gc/security/advisories/GHSA-vq85-8f6p-g9q5 (Vendor Advisory)
- github.com/free5gc/free5gc/issues/805 (Exploit, Issue Tracking, Vendor Advisory)
Frequently asked questions
- What is CVE-2026-25501?
- CVE-2026-25501 is a high-severity vulnerability in Free5gc Smf, classified under NULL Pointer Dereference. CVSS score: 7.5/10. Published 2026-02-24.
- How severe is CVE-2026-25501?
- High severity. CVSS v3 base score is 7.5 out of 10.