Raw vector
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:HSummary
CVE-2026-33282 is a high-severity NULL Pointer Dereference (CWE-476) vulnerability in Ellanetworks Ella Core. Its CVSS base score is 7.5 (High).
Operationally, exploitation aligns with the MITRE ATT&CK technique Endpoint Denial of Service (T1499); ranked at the 33th 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.
Ella Core, a 5G core implementation designed for private networks, contains a denial-of-service vulnerability in versions prior to 1.6.0, tracked as CVE-2026-33282. The issue stems from a NULL pointer dereference (CWE-476) triggered when processing a malformed NGAP LocationReport message specifying the `ue-presence-in-area-of-interest` event type while omitting the optional `UEPresenceInAreaOfInterestList` information element (IE). This causes the Ella Core process to panic and crash. The vulnerability has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 7.5 (AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H), reflecting high availability impact with no confidentiality or integrity effects.
Any remote attacker with network access to the Ella Core deployment can exploit this vulnerability by sending a specially crafted NGAP message, as no authentication is required. Successful exploitation crashes the core process, resulting in service disruption that affects all connected subscribers across the private 5G network. The low attack complexity and lack of privileges needed make it accessible to unauthenticated adversaries positioned to reach the NGAP interface.
The official advisory from Ella Networks, published on GitHub at https://github.com/ellanetworks/core/security/advisories/GHSA-826q-wrq4-p23x, recommends upgrading to version 1.6.0 or later, which introduces verification for the presence of required IEs in NGAP message handling to prevent the crash. No additional workarounds are specified in the available information.
OWASP Top 10 for Web (2025)
EU & UK References
- 🇪🇺 ENISA EUVD: EUVD-2026-14645
Vulnerability Data
Ella Core is a 5G core designed for private networks. Versions prior to 1.6.0 panic when processing a malformed NGAP LocationReport message with `ue-presence-in-area-of-interest` event type and omitting the optional `UEPresenceInAreaOfInterestList` IE. An attacker able to send crafted NGAP messages…
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to Ella Core can crash the process, causing service disruption for all connected subscribers. No authentication is required. Version 1.6.0 added IE presence verification to NGAP message handling.
- CWE(s)
Related Threats
MITRE ATT&CK Enterprise Techniques
CVEs Like This One
Affected Assets
Mitigating Controls
Mitigating Controls (NIST 800-53 r5) AI
Developer testing and evaluation (including static analysis) directly finds null-dereference bugs before deployment.
Documented development standards and tools can enforce null-safety rules and safe pointer usage.
Engineering principles can mandate defensive coding such as explicit null checks before dereference.
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.
Secure SDLC practices (static analysis, code review, safe coding standards) directly prevent NULL dereference bugs during development.
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.
Security testing can detect NULL dereference defects before release.
Secure SDLC mandates defensive coding practices that can prevent NULL dereferences.
Application security requirements can specify input validation and pointer-safety rules.
Secure architecture principles encourage defensive design that avoids unsafe pointer use.
Secure coding standards directly require NULL-pointer checks and safe dereference patterns.