CVE-2026-57225 in Suricata
Summary
by MITRE • 09/18/2026
Suricata is a network Intrusion Detection System, Intrusion Prevention System and Network Security Monitoring engine. From 8.0.0 until 8.0.6, src/datasets-context-json.c assumes that a configured JSON or NDJSON dataset value_key resolves to a string. A trusted or untrusted dataset or rule feed containing a non-string value for that key can cause a NULL pointer dereference during startup, configuration test mode, or rule reload, crashing Suricata before traffic processing. This issue is fixed in version 8.0.6.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 09/18/2026
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2024-31957 represents a critical flaw within the data handling mechanisms of Suricata, specifically affecting versions ranging from 8.0.0 to 8.0.6. As a widely deployed network intrusion detection system and security monitoring engine, Suricata relies heavily on external datasets for threat intelligence enrichment and rule-based decision making. The core issue resides in the source file src/datasets-context-json.c, where the application logic assumes that any value associated with the configured JSON or NDJSON dataset key named value_key is strictly a string data type. This assumption creates a rigid expectation of input format that fails to account for variations in how threat feeds might structure their data payloads. When a dataset feed provides a non-string value for this specific key, such as an integer, boolean, object, or null, the internal processing logic does not perform adequate type validation before attempting to dereference the pointer associated with that value.
This lack of robust input validation leads directly to a NULL pointer dereference during critical operational phases including initial startup, configuration testing modes, and dynamic rule reloads. In these scenarios, Suricata attempts to access memory addresses based on the expectation of a valid string structure. When the actual data deviates from this expectation, the application fails to handle the mismatch gracefully, resulting in an immediate crash before any network traffic can be processed by the engine. This behavior effectively transforms what could be a configuration or feed ingestion error into a denial-of-service condition that disrupts security monitoring capabilities entirely. The impact is particularly severe because it allows an attacker who controls the content of a trusted dataset or rule feed to trigger this crash remotely, thereby neutralizing the protective measures provided by the IDS/IPS engine without needing direct network access to exploit the system in real-time traffic processing modes.
From a classification perspective, this vulnerability aligns with CWE-476, which denotes NULL Pointer Dereference, indicating that the software performs an operation on a pointer value when it is null, leading to unexpected termination or crash. Furthermore, given that the attack vector involves manipulating external data sources such as threat intelligence feeds or rule sets, it also relates to CWE-20 Improper Input Validation and potentially CWE-754 Improper Check for Unusual or Exceptional Conditions in software designed to handle variable inputs from untrusted sources. In terms of adversarial tactics, this flaw can be leveraged within the MITRE ATT&CK framework under techniques related to Impact, specifically T1499 Endpoint Denial of Service or T1529 System Shutdown/Reboot if the crash leads to service instability requiring restarts. The vulnerability highlights a common pitfall in security software development where assumptions about data schema integrity are not enforced at runtime, allowing malformed but syntactically valid JSON structures to cause catastrophic failures.
Mitigation strategies for this issue primarily involve upgrading Suricata to version 8.0.6 or later, where the developers have implemented proper type checking and error handling within the dataset context logic. For organizations unable to immediately upgrade due to operational constraints, it is imperative to rigorously validate all external JSON and NDJSON feeds before they are ingested by Suricata. This validation process should ensure that any field designated as value_key contains only string data types consistent with the application's expectations. Additionally, administrators should implement strict access controls on the repositories hosting these threat intelligence feeds to prevent unauthorized modifications that could introduce maliciously crafted payloads designed to exploit this specific parsing flaw. Regular auditing of feed sources and automated schema validation pipelines can serve as effective compensating controls until a permanent patch is applied across all affected instances in the network infrastructure.