Cyber Resilience

CVE-2024-57259

Denx U-Boot ≤ 2024.10

Published
18 February 2025
Modified
03 November 2025
Patch / advisory
View advisory
CVSS Score v3.1 7.1
Click a component to see what it means
Raw vectorCVSS:3.1/AV:P/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H
EPSS Score 0.0036 29th percentile
Risk Priority 51 floored blend · peak EPSS

Summary

CVE-2024-57259 is a high-severity Off-by-one Error (CWE-193) vulnerability in Denx U-Boot. Its CVSS base score is 7.1 (High).

Operationally, exploitation aligns with the MITRE ATT&CK technique Exploitation for Privilege Escalation (T1068); ranked at the 29th percentile by exploit likelihood (below the median); 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 SA-15 (Development Process, Standards, and Tools) — 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-2024-57259 affects Das U-Boot versions before 2025.01-rc1, specifically in the sqfs_search_dir function used for squashfs directory listing. The vulnerability stems from an off-by-one error (CWE-193) where the path separator is not considered in a size calculation, resulting in heap memory corruption. Published on 2025-02-18, it carries a CVSS v3.1 base score of 7.1 (AV:P/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H).

Exploitation requires physical proximity to the target device and a high-complexity attack, but no privileges or user interaction. A successful attack can achieve high impacts across confidentiality, integrity, and availability, with a changed scope due to the memory corruption.

Mitigation is available via a patch commit in the U-Boot repository (048d795bb5b3d9c5701b4855f5e74bcf6849bf5e), which users should apply by updating to 2025.01-rc1 or later. Additional details appear in announcements on the oss-security mailing list and Debian LTS, emphasizing the need for upgrades in affected embedded systems.

EU & UK References

Vulnerability Data

sqfs_search_dir in Das U-Boot before 2025.01-rc1 exhibits an off-by-one error and resultant heap memory corruption for squashfs directory listing because the path separator is not considered in a size calculation.

CWE(s)
CWE-193

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-2026-29009Same product: Denx U-Boot
CVE-2024-42040Same product: Denx U-Boot
CVE-2026-29008Same product: Denx U-Boot
CVE-2026-29007Same product: Denx U-Boot
CVE-2024-57255Same product: Denx U-Boot
CVE-2024-57258Same product: Denx U-Boot
CVE-2024-57254Same product: Denx U-Boot
CVE-2024-57256Same product: Denx U-Boot
CVE-2025-45512Same product: Denx U-Boot
CVE-2024-57257Same product: Denx U-Boot

Affected Assets

denx
u-boot
≤ 2024.10

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)
  • V6.2.1

Mitigating Controls (NIST 800-53 r5) AI

SA-11 Developer Testing and Evaluation good match

Developer testing and evaluation can discover off-by-one errors in loops, bounds, and calculations before deployment.

SA-15 Development Process, Standards, and Tools partial match

Requiring documented development standards and tools can embed bounds-checking and arithmetic-correctness rules that stop off-by-one mistakes at introduction.

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 SDLC practices directly prevent off-by-one errors via reviews, static analysis, and testing.

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.8.29 Security testing in development and acceptance mostly match
finds

Security testing in development and acceptance can detect off-by-one errors before release.

A.8.25 Secure development life cycle partial match
prevents

Secure development life cycle includes requirements and reviews that can catch off-by-one errors.

A.8.26 Application security requirements partial match
prevents

Application security requirements can specify bounds-checking and input validation to prevent off-by-one errors.

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

Secure system architecture and engineering principles promote defensive coding practices that reduce off-by-one mistakes.

A.8.28 Secure coding partial match
prevents

Secure coding directly addresses off-by-one errors through coding standards and peer review.

References