Cyber Resilience

CVE-2026-42081

Free5Gc ≤ 4.2.2

Public PoC
Published
27 May 2026
Modified
17 June 2026
Patch / advisory
CVSS Score v3.1 6.1
Click a component to see what it means
Raw vectorCVSS:3.1/AV:A/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:C/C:N/I:L/A:L
EPSS Score 0.0027 18th percentile
Risk Priority 45 floored blend · peak EPSS

CVSS and EPSS are reproduced from their sources (NVD, FIRST EPSS). Risk Priority is our own derived reading, not an NVD score.

Summary

CVE-2026-42081 is a medium-severity Improperly Implemented Security Check for Standard (CWE-358) vulnerability in Free5Gc Free5Gc. Its CVSS base score is 6.1 (Medium).

Operationally, exploitation aligns with the MITRE ATT&CK technique Downgrade Attack (T1689); ranked at the 18th percentile by exploit likelihood (below the median); it is not currently listed in the CISA KEV catalog; a public proof-of-concept is referenced.

EU & UK References

Vulnerability Data

free5GC is an open-source implementation of the 5G core network. Prior to 4.2.2, the AMF in Free5GC does not verify the UE Security Capabilities received in NGAP PathSwitchRequest messages against its locally stored values, as mandated by 3GPP TS 33.501…

more

§6.7.3.1. A malicious gNB can overwrite the AMF's stored UE security capabilities with arbitrary values, which are then propagated in PathSwitchRequest Acknowledge messages and subsequent Handover Request messages. This leads to persistent handover denial-of-service for affected UEs. This vulnerability is fixed in 4.2.2.

CWE(s)

Related Threats

MITRE ATT&CK Enterprise Techniques

T1689 Downgrade Attack Defense Impairment
Adversaries may downgrade or use a version of system features that may be outdated, vulnerable, and/or does not support updated security controls.
T1557 Adversary-in-the-Middle Credential Access
Adversaries may attempt to position themselves between two or more networked devices using an adversary-in-the-middle (AiTM) technique to support follow-on behaviors such as [Network Sniffing](https://attack.
Derived from this CVE’s CWE(s) via the direct CWE→ATT&CK cross-walk.

CVEs Like This One

CVE-2026-42082Same product: Free5Gc Free5Gc
CVE-2025-65561Same product: Free5Gc Free5Gc
CVE-2026-44317Same product: Free5Gc Free5Gc
CVE-2026-44329Same product: Free5Gc Free5Gc
CVE-2026-44319Same product: Free5Gc Free5Gc
CVE-2025-63679Same product: Free5Gc Free5Gc
CVE-2025-56394Same product: Free5Gc Free5Gc
CVE-2026-44321Same product: Free5Gc Free5Gc
CVE-2026-44327Same product: Free5Gc Free5Gc
CVE-2025-29632Same product: Free5Gc Free5Gc

Affected Assets

free5gc
free5gc
≤ 4.2.2

Mitigating Controls

Control response

Prevent
Stop it (NIST 800-53)

—

Detect
Catch it (NIST detect / respond)

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Harden
Shrink the surface (DISA STIG)

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Validate
Prove the fix (OWASP ASVS)
  • V17.2.8

Likely Mitigating Controls AI

Per-CVE control mapping for this CVE has not run yet; the list below is derived from the weakness types (CWEs) cited in the NVD entry.

addresses: CWE-358

Assessments identify and document improperly implemented security checks, allowing fixes that reduce exploitation of flawed checks.

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 correct implementation of standardized security checks and algorithms.

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 in development and acceptance validates that required security checks function as specified.

prevents

Use of cryptography control depends on correct implementation of standardized cryptographic checks.

prevents

Secure development life cycle mandates verification that security checks required by standards are correctly implemented.

prevents

Application security requirements explicitly call for correct implementation of standardized security mechanisms.

prevents

Secure system architecture and engineering principles require faithful realization of protocol-level security checks.

prevents

Secure coding practices directly address correct implementation of security-relevant checks in standardized algorithms.

References