CVE-2026-102693 in RIOT
Summary
by MITRE • 10/16/2026
RIOT is an open-source microcontroller operating system designed for Internet of Things devices and other embedded systems. Prior to 2026.04, the ATWINC15x0 driver's _atwinc15x0_sta_set_current_ssid function uses strcpy to copy an SSID without checking the destination size. When MODULE_ATWINC15X0_DYNAMIC_CONNECT is enabled, a nearby attacker can advertise a malformed or oversized SSID that is processed during Wi-Fi scanning, causing memory corruption and potentially a hard fault, denial of service, or code execution. This issue is fixed in version 2026.04.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 10/16/2026
The RIOT operating system serves as a foundational software layer for Internet of Things devices and embedded systems, providing essential networking capabilities that are critical for modern connected infrastructure. Within this ecosystem, the ATWINC15x0 driver facilitates Wi-Fi connectivity by managing interactions with Microchip's WINC1500 wireless module. A significant security flaw was identified in the _atwinc15x0_sta_set_current_ssid function prior to version 2026.04, where the implementation relied on strcpy for string copying operations without performing bounds checking against the destination buffer size. This architectural oversight creates a classic buffer overflow vulnerability that compromises memory integrity when processing network identifiers.
The technical root cause of this vulnerability lies in the failure to validate input length before writing data into fixed-size buffers. When the MODULE_ATWINC15X0_DYNAMIC_CONNECT feature is enabled, the system actively scans for available Wi-Fi networks and processes their Service Set Identifiers. An attacker positioned within wireless range can exploit this behavior by broadcasting a malformed or excessively long SSID during these scanning operations. Because the driver does not verify that the incoming SSID fits within the allocated memory space, strcpy writes data beyond the buffer boundaries, leading to heap or stack corruption depending on the specific allocation context of the RIOT kernel at runtime.
The operational impact of this memory corruption is severe and multifaceted. In many embedded scenarios, overwriting adjacent memory structures can corrupt control flow data such as return addresses or function pointers, potentially allowing an attacker to achieve arbitrary code execution with the privileges of the compromised process. Even if exploitation for remote code execution fails due to mitigations like stack canaries or non-executable memory regions, the immediate consequence is typically a hard fault or system crash. This results in a denial of service condition where the IoT device becomes unresponsive, disrupting critical services that rely on continuous connectivity and uptime.
This vulnerability aligns with Common Weakness Enumeration CWE-120, which describes buffer copy without checking size for improper memory management, and is further categorized under CWE-787 as an out-of-bounds write. From a tactical perspective in the MITRE ATT&CK framework, this flaw facilitates initial access or disruption techniques by allowing local network adversaries to destabilize target systems through crafted wireless signals. The attack vector leverages the inherent trust placed in received data during standard operational procedures like Wi-Fi scanning, making it difficult for users to detect without specialized monitoring tools.
To mitigate this risk, organizations deploying RIOT-based devices must ensure that firmware is updated to version 2026.04 or later, where the strcpy calls have been replaced with safer alternatives such as strncpy or strlcpy that enforce length limits. For systems unable to update immediately due to legacy constraints, disabling MODULE_ATWINC15X0_DYNAMIC_CONNECT can reduce exposure by preventing automatic processing of scanned SSIDs in a manner susceptible to this specific overflow path. Additionally implementing network segmentation and monitoring for anomalous wireless activity can provide an additional layer of defense against exploitation attempts targeting embedded IoT infrastructure.