Overview
The CVE-2025-5869 is a critical vulnerability found in one of the key components of RT-Thread 5.1.0, one of the most widely used open-source real-time operating systems (RTOS) available today. This vulnerability, specifically located within the sys_recvfrom function of the lwp_syscall.c file, has serious implications due to its potential to cause memory corruption. Given RT-Thread’s widespread usage in embedded systems, this vulnerability could have far-reaching impacts, possibly leading to system compromise or data leakage.
Vulnerability Summary
CVE ID: CVE-2025-5869
Severity: Critical, CVSS Score: 8.0
Attack Vector: Network
Privileges Required: None
User Interaction: None
Impact: Memory corruption, potential system compromise, or data leakage
Affected Products
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Product | Affected Versions
RT-Thread | 5.1.0
How the Exploit Works
The vulnerability arises from the incorrect handling of the ‘from’ argument in the sys_recvfrom function. This function is designed to receive a message from a socket and capture the source address if it’s not NULL. However, the misuse of the ‘from’ argument can lead to memory corruption. An attacker with network access could send a specially crafted packet that, when processed by the sys_recvfrom function, causes the memory corruption. This could potentially allow the attacker to execute arbitrary code or cause a denial of service.
Conceptual Example Code
Here is a conceptual example of a specially crafted packet that could trigger the vulnerability:
POST /rt-thread/sys_recvfrom HTTP/1.1
Host: target.example.com
Content-Type: application/json
{ "from": "special crafted string causing memory corruption" }It’s important to note that this is a conceptual example, and the actual exploit might involve more complex operations.
Mitigation Guidance
Users are strongly encouraged to apply the vendor patch as soon as it becomes available. As a temporary mitigation, users can employ Web Application Firewalls (WAF) or Intrusion Detection Systems (IDS) to monitor and block suspicious network traffic that could potentially exploit this vulnerability. However, these measures provide only temporary relief and may not fully protect the system from a targeted attack exploiting this vulnerability.