Cyber Resilience

CVE-2026-33283

Memory Safety in Ellanetworks Ella Core ≤ 1.6.0

Published
24 March 2026
Modified
24 March 2026
Patch / 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 0.0037 29th percentile
Risk Priority 50 floored blend · peak EPSS

Summary

CVE-2026-33283 is a medium-severity NULL Pointer Dereference (CWE-476) vulnerability in Ellanetworks Ella Core. Its CVSS base score is 6.5 (Medium).

Operationally, exploitation aligns with the MITRE ATT&CK technique Endpoint Denial of Service (T1499); 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-2026-33283 affects Ella Core, a 5G core implementation designed for private networks, in versions prior to 1.6.0. The vulnerability is a NULL pointer dereference (CWE-476) that causes the software to panic when processing malformed UL NAS Transport NAS messages lacking a Request Type. This flaw has 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), indicating medium severity primarily due to high availability impact.

An attacker with the ability to send crafted NAS messages to Ella Core can exploit this vulnerability remotely over the network with low complexity. Although the CVSS score specifies low privileges required (PR:L), the description notes no authentication is required. Successful exploitation crashes the Ella Core process, resulting in service disruption for all connected subscribers.

The GitHub security advisory at https://github.com/ellanetworks/core/security/advisories/GHSA-3366-gw57-fcm5 details the fix in version 1.6.0, which introduces a guard to handle UL NAS messages without a Request Type when no SM Context exists, preventing the panic. Security practitioners should upgrade to version 1.6.0 or later to mitigate this issue.

OWASP Top 10 for Web (2025)

EU & UK References

Vulnerability Data

Ella Core is a 5G core designed for private networks. Versions prior to 1.6.0 panic when processing malformed UL NAS Transport NAS messages without a Request Type. An attacker able to send crafted NAS messages to Ella Core can crash…

more

the process, causing service disruption for all connected subscribers. No authentication is required. Version 1.6.0 adds a guard when receiving an UL NAS Message without a Request Type given no SM Context.

CWE(s)

Related Threats

MITRE ATT&CK Enterprise Techniques

T1499 Endpoint Denial of Service Impact
Adversaries may perform Endpoint Denial of Service (DoS) attacks to degrade or block the availability of services to users.
T1499.004 Application or System Exploitation Impact
Adversaries may exploit software vulnerabilities that can cause an application or system to crash and deny availability to users.
T1489 Service Stop Impact
Adversaries may stop or disable services on a system to render those services unavailable to legitimate users.
Derived from this CVE’s CWE(s) via the direct CWE→ATT&CK cross-walk.

CVEs Like This One

CVE-2026-33903Same product: Ellanetworks Ella Core
CVE-2026-34761Same product: Ellanetworks Ella Core
CVE-2026-33282Same product: Ellanetworks Ella Core
CVE-2026-33907Same product: Ellanetworks Ella Core
CVE-2026-33281Same product: Ellanetworks Ella Core
CVE-2026-33904Same 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-2026-32320Same product: Ellanetworks Ella Core

Affected Assets

ellanetworks
ella core
≤ 1.6.0

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.

PR.PS-06 mostly match
prevents

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.

finds

Security testing can detect NULL dereference defects before release.

prevents

Secure SDLC mandates defensive coding practices that can prevent NULL dereferences.

prevents

Application security requirements can specify input validation and pointer-safety rules.

prevents

Secure architecture principles encourage defensive design that avoids unsafe pointer use.

prevents

Secure coding standards directly require NULL-pointer checks and safe dereference patterns.

References