Cyber Resilience

CVE-2026-33281

Ellanetworks Ella Core ≤ 1.6.0

Published
24 March 2026
Modified
24 March 2026
Patch / advisory
View advisory
CVSS Score v3.1 6.5
Click a component to see what it means
Raw vectorCVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H
EPSS Score 0.0039 32th percentile
Risk Priority 50 floored blend · peak EPSS

Summary

CVE-2026-33281 is a medium-severity Improper Validation of Array Index (CWE-129) vulnerability in Ellanetworks Ella Core. Its CVSS base score is 6.5 (Medium).

Operationally, exploitation aligns with the MITRE ATT&CK technique Exploitation for Privilege Escalation (T1068); ranked at the 32th percentile by exploit likelihood (below the median); it is not currently listed in the CISA KEV catalog.

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-2026-33281 is a denial-of-service vulnerability in Ella Core, a 5G core implementation designed for private networks. Versions prior to 1.6.0 are affected, where the software panics upon processing NGAP messages containing invalid PDU Session IDs outside the valid range of 1-15. This issue is mapped to CWE-129 (Improper Validation of Array Index) and carries a CVSS v3.1 base score of 6.5 (AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H), reflecting medium severity primarily due to high availability impact.

An attacker with the ability to send crafted NGAP messages to an affected Ella Core deployment can trigger the panic, crashing the process and causing widespread service disruption for all connected subscribers. No authentication is required to deliver the malicious messages, enabling remote exploitation over the network with low complexity.

The official advisory, available at https://github.com/ellanetworks/core/security/advisories/GHSA-q669-4gmv-g8mf, recommends upgrading to version 1.6.0 or later, which introduces PDU Session ID validation during NGAP message handling to prevent the crash.

OWASP Top 10 for Web (2025)

A05:2025 Injection

EU & UK References

Vulnerability Data

Ella Core is a 5G core designed for private networks. Versions prior to 1.6.0 panic when processing NGAP messages with invalid PDU Session IDs outside of 1-15. An attacker able to send crafted NGAP messages to Ella Core can crash…

more

the process, causing service disruption for all connected subscribers. No authentication is required. Version 1.6.0 added PDU Session ID validations during NGAP message handling.

CWE(s)
CWE-129

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 →
T1211 Exploitation for Stealth Stealth
Adversaries may exploit vulnerabilities to evade detection by hiding activity, suppressing logging, or operating within trusted or unmonitored components.
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-2026-32320Same product: Ellanetworks Ella Core
CVE-2026-32319Same product: Ellanetworks Ella Core
CVE-2026-34762Same product: Ellanetworks Ella Core
CVE-2026-33906Same product: Ellanetworks Ella Core
CVE-2026-33904Same product: Ellanetworks Ella Core
CVE-2026-33907Same product: Ellanetworks Ella Core
CVE-2026-34761Same product: Ellanetworks Ella Core
CVE-2026-33903Same product: Ellanetworks Ella Core
CVE-2026-33283Same product: Ellanetworks Ella Core
CVE-2026-33282Same product: Ellanetworks Ella Core

Affected Assets

ellanetworks
ella core
≤ 1.6.0

Mitigating Controls

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 require input validation and bounds checking that prevent improper array indexing.

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 can detect out-of-bounds array access but does not prevent the weakness by itself.

A.8.25 Secure development life cycle partial match
prevents

Secure development lifecycle mandates input validation and bounds checking that directly prevents improper array indexing.

A.8.26 Application security requirements partial match
prevents

Application security requirements include validation of untrusted input used for indexing or addressing memory structures.

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

Secure architecture principles encourage defensive coding patterns that reduce index-related vulnerabilities.

A.8.28 Secure coding partial match
prevents

Secure coding standards explicitly require bounds checking and validation of array indices derived from untrusted data.

References