Cyber Resilience

CVE-2024-33453

Memory Safety in Espressif Esp-Idf 5.1

Memory Safety
Published
17 October 2024
Modified
31 December 2025
Patch / advisory
View advisory
CVSS Score v3.1 8.1
Click a component to see what it means
Raw vectorCVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:N
EPSS Score 0.0097 59th percentile
Risk Priority 71 floored blend · peak EPSS

Summary

CVE-2024-33453 is a high-severity Classic Buffer Overflow (CWE-120) vulnerability in Espressif Esp-Idf. Its CVSS base score is 8.1 (High).

Operationally, exploitation aligns with the MITRE ATT&CK technique Exploitation for Privilege Escalation (T1068); ranked in the top 41% of CVEs by exploit likelihood; it is not currently listed in the CISA KEV catalog.

The strongest mitigations our analysis identified map to SA-11 (Developer Testing and Evaluation) and SI-10 (Information Input Validation) — see the control section below for these in your framework.

Deeper analysis AI-assisted summary

Synthesised by an AI model from the NVD description and linked references — a reading aid, not an authoritative source.

CVE-2024-33453 is a buffer overflow vulnerability, tracked as CWE-120, that affects the externalId component in Espressif esp-idf version 5.1. The flaw received a CVSS 3.1 score of 8.1 and permits memory corruption that can expose sensitive data.

An attacker with network access and low privileges can trigger the overflow remotely without user interaction, achieving high confidentiality and integrity impact while leaving availability unaffected. This allows unauthorized retrieval of sensitive information and potential data manipulation within the affected ESP-IDF environment.

The sole public reference points to a GitHub repository containing further technical details on the issue, though no official patch notes or mitigation steps are provided in the available sources. The associated EPSS score reached a peak of 0.1643 and currently stands at 0.1219, reflecting a moderate rise in exploitation interest after disclosure.

EU & UK References

Vulnerability Data

Buffer Overflow vulnerability in esp-idf v.5.1 allows a remote attacker to obtain sensitive information via the externalId component.

CWE(s)
CWE-120

Related Threats

MITRE ATT&CK Enterprise Techniques

T1068 Exploitation for Privilege Escalation Privilege Escalation
Adversaries may exploit software vulnerabilities in an attempt to elevate privileges.
attack.mitre.org →
T1190 Exploit Public-Facing Application Initial Access
Adversaries may attempt to exploit a weakness in an Internet-facing host or system to initially access a network.
attack.mitre.org →
T1203 Exploitation for Client Execution Execution
Adversaries may exploit software vulnerabilities in client applications to execute code.
attack.mitre.org →
T1210 Exploitation of Remote Services Lateral Movement
Adversaries may exploit remote services to gain unauthorized access to internal systems once inside of a network.
attack.mitre.org →
T1212 Exploitation for Credential Access Credential Access
Adversaries may exploit software vulnerabilities in an attempt to collect credentials.
attack.mitre.org →
Derived from this CVE’s CWE(s) via the direct CWE→ATT&CK cross-walk.

CVEs Like This One

CVE-2024-33454Same product: Espressif Esp-Idf
CVE-2025-55297Same product: Espressif Esp-Idf
CVE-2026-25507Same product: Espressif Esp-Idf
CVE-2026-45542Same product: Espressif Esp-Idf
CVE-2025-52471Same product: Espressif Esp-Idf
CVE-2026-25532Same product: Espressif Esp-Idf
CVE-2026-25508Same product: Espressif Esp-Idf
CVE-2025-66409Same product: Espressif Esp-Idf
CVE-2026-45160Same product: Espressif Esp-Idf
CVE-2026-46532Same product: Espressif Esp-Idf

Affected Assets

espressif
esp-idf
5.1

Mitigating Controls

Control response

Prevent
Stop it (NIST 800-53)

—

Detect
Catch it (NIST detect / respond)

—

Harden
Shrink the surface (DISA STIG)

—

Validate
Prove the fix (OWASP ASVS)
  • V5.2.1

Mitigating Controls (NIST 800-53 r5) AI

SA-11 Developer Testing and Evaluation good match

Developer testing and analysis can find missing size checks before deployment.

SI-10 Information Input Validation good match

Input validation directly enforces size checks before buffer copies.

SA-8 Security and Privacy Engineering Principles partial match

Engineering principles require bounds checking and safe buffer handling in design.

SI-16 Memory Protection partial match

Memory protection limits the impact of an overflow once it occurs.

Mitigating Controls (NIST CSF 2.0) AI

Derived directly from the weakness types (CWEs) cited in the NVD entry via our AI-authored CWE→CSF cross-walk (authority under review) — links open the control.

PR.PS-06 mostly match
prevents

Secure development practices directly enforce bounds checking and input validation that prevent classic buffer overflows.

ID.RA-01 partial match
prevents

Vulnerability identification processes such as code review or scanning detect classic buffer overflows before exploitation.

PR.PS-02 partial match
prevents

Routine patching replaces vulnerable code containing unchecked buffer copies with corrected versions.

Mitigating Controls (ISO/IEC 27001:2022 Annex A) AI

Derived directly from the weakness types (CWEs) cited in the NVD entry via our AI-authored CWE→ISO cross-walk (authority under review) — links open the control.

A.8.28 Secure coding mostly match
prevents

Secure coding directly requires bounds-checked memory operations, addressing the root cause of CWE-120.

A.8.29 Security testing in development and acceptance mostly match
finds

Security testing in development and acceptance can detect buffer overflows through fuzzing and static analysis, though it does not prevent them at the source.

A.8.25 Secure development life cycle partial match
prevents

Secure development life cycle mandates processes that can include input validation and bounds checking to prevent buffer overflows.

A.8.26 Application security requirements partial match
prevents

Application security requirements can specify input-size validation and safe buffer handling to mitigate classic buffer overflows.

A.8.27 Secure system architecture and engineering principles partial match
prevents

Secure system architecture and engineering principles promote defensive coding patterns that reduce the likelihood of unchecked buffer copies.

References