CVE-2026-93652 in µD3TN
Summary
by MITRE • 09/18/2026
Integer overflow in µD3TN v0.15.0 TCPCLv3 handshake causes heap overflow, allowing remote attackers to reliably cause DoS
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 09/18/2026
The vulnerability identified in µD3TN version 0.15.0 represents a critical security flaw within the implementation of the Bundle Protocol over TCP Convergence Layer Version 3 (TCPCLv3) handshake mechanism. This specific defect is classified as an integer overflow, which subsequently leads to a heap-based buffer overflow condition during the processing of incoming connection requests from remote peers. The root cause lies in the improper handling of size parameters or length fields extracted from the initial TCPCLv3 handshake packets sent by attackers. When these values are processed without adequate validation or bounds checking, they can be manipulated to exceed the maximum limit for signed integer types used internally by the application logic. This arithmetic error results in a miscalculated buffer allocation size that is significantly smaller than what is actually required to store the incoming data payload.
From an operational perspective, this flaw allows remote attackers who have network access to the target system to trigger the vulnerability without requiring any form of authentication. By crafting malicious TCPCLv3 handshake packets with specifically crafted integer values, an attacker can force the application to allocate insufficient memory on the heap while simultaneously writing a larger amount of data into that allocated space. This discrepancy between the expected and actual buffer sizes leads to adjacent memory corruption within the heap structure. The reliability of this exploitation vector is high because TCPCLv3 handshake packets are fundamental to establishing any session, meaning the vulnerability can be triggered simply by initiating a connection attempt with malformed headers or length fields.
The primary impact of this vulnerability is a denial of service against the DTN (Delay-Tolerant Networking) endpoint running µD3TN. The heap corruption typically causes immediate application crashes or segmentation faults as the memory management subsystem detects invalid pointers or corrupted metadata structures. In some execution environments, particularly if specific compiler protections are disabled or bypassed, this heap overflow could potentially be leveraged for arbitrary code execution by overwriting function pointers or exception handling mechanisms within adjacent heap chunks. However, even in its most basic form, the ability to reliably crash the service disrupts critical infrastructure that relies on DTN protocols for data transmission in high-latency or intermittent connectivity environments, such as satellite communications or IoT networks.
This vulnerability aligns with Common Weakness Enumeration (CWE) identifiers CWE-190 Integer Overflow and CWE-787 Out-of-bounds Write to Heap Memory. In the context of the MITRE ATT&CK framework, this exploit technique falls under Tactic TA0002 Execution or TA0004 Impact depending on whether code execution is achieved, specifically mapping to techniques involving memory corruption exploits such as heap spraying or buffer overflow attacks (T1203). The lack of input validation for network-received data structures is a classic example of CWE-20 Improper Input Validation.
To mitigate this risk, immediate patching to the latest stable version of µD3TN that addresses these integer handling issues is required. Developers should implement strict bounds checking on all length fields and size parameters derived from external inputs before they are used for memory allocation or array indexing operations. Utilizing static analysis tools capable of detecting integer overflows during the development phase can help prevent similar defects in future releases. Additionally, deploying network intrusion detection systems that inspect TCPCLv3 handshake packets for anomalous header values may provide a layer of defense against exploitation attempts until patches are fully deployed across all affected nodes.