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CVE Record

CVE-2017-2893: An exploitable NULL pointer dereference vulnerability exists in the MQTT packet parsing functionality of Ce...

An exploitable NULL pointer dereference vulnerability exists in the MQTT packet parsing functionality of Cesanta Mongoose 6.8. An MQTT SUBSCRIBE packet can cause a NULL pointer dereference leading to server crash and denial of service. An attacker needs to send a specially crafted MQTT packet over the network to trigger this vulnerability.

HighCVSS 7.5Not KEV-listedUpdated
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Glexia's TakeAutomated analysishigh

Security readout for executives and security teams

Plain-English summary

Cesanta Mongoose 6.8 can crash when handling a malformed MQTT SUBSCRIBE packet. The business impact is service outage, not data theft, based on the supplied CVSS and description. Systems are most urgent if MQTT is enabled and reachable over a network.

Executive priority

Prioritize remediation for internet-facing or partner-facing MQTT services because unauthenticated network traffic can cause downtime. Internal-only systems are lower urgency but still need tracking because the flaw is easy to trigger.

Technical view

CVE-2017-2893 is a NULL pointer dereference in Mongoose 6.8 MQTT packet parsing. A specially crafted MQTT SUBSCRIBE packet can trigger a server crash. CVSS 3.0 is 7.5: network reachable, low complexity, no privileges, no user interaction, with high availability impact only.

Likely exposure

Exposure is likely limited to deployments embedding Cesanta Mongoose 6.8 with MQTT enabled, especially services reachable by untrusted networks. The bundle does not identify other affected versions or products.

Exploitation context

The source bundle says the issue is exploitable over the network for denial of service. It does not cite CISA KEV listing, active exploitation, public exploit use, or exploitation in the wild.

Researcher notes

Evidence supports availability-only impact and unauthenticated network reachability. Remediation details are incomplete in the supplied bundle, so avoid asserting a fixed version unless confirmed from vendor guidance. No KEV or active exploitation evidence is provided.

Mitigation direction

  • Identify systems using Cesanta Mongoose 6.8 with MQTT enabled.
  • Check Cesanta and Talos guidance for supported fixes or upgrade direction.
  • Restrict MQTT service exposure to trusted networks where feasible.
  • Disable MQTT functionality where it is not required.
  • Monitor affected services for unexpected crashes or restarts.

Validation and detection

  • Inventory application and firmware dependencies for Mongoose 6.8.
  • Confirm whether MQTT listeners are enabled and network reachable.
  • Review crash logs for failures during MQTT SUBSCRIBE handling.
  • Check vulnerability scans or SBOMs for Cesanta Mongoose 6.8.
  • Document compensating controls if a vendor fix is unavailable.
Prepared
Confidence
high
Sources
3

Public sources used

Generated from the cited source records. This long-tail analysis has not been individually reviewed by a named human.

Potential ATT&CK relevance

Conservative CVE-to-ATT&CK context

These mappings and lookup hints may be relevant to the vulnerability behavior, CWE, affected product, or exposure path. Glexia-inferred context is not an official MITRE, ATT&CK, CWE, or CVE Program mapping.

ATT&CK lookup starting points

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CVE-2017-2893 mapping review

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Vulnerability profileCVE Program record
Severity
High
CVSS
7.5 (3.0)
Known Exploited
No
Published

Vector: CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H

Official CVE source material

CNA and ADP enrichment extracted from CVE v5

These fields come from the CVE record and ADP containers, not from Glexia's Take. They preserve time-varying source decisions such as CISA SSVC, KEV status, CVSS metrics, and provider references.

1CVSS vectors
0Timeline events
0ADP providers
2Source links

CVSS vector scores

1 official score

We collect every scored CVSS vector available in the official CNA and ADP containers. When more than one version is present, the table keeps the source vectors side by side instead of collapsing them into the highest score.

ScoreVersionSeverityVectorExploitImpactSource
7.5CVSS 3.0HighCVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H3.93.6Primary CVE score

Vulnerability scoring details

Base CVSS 3.0 score

7.5High
CVSS 3.0 vector shape for CVE-2017-2893Attack VectorAttack ComplexityPrivileges RequiredUser InteractionScopeConfidentiality ImpactIntegrity ImpactAvailability Impact

Vector: CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H

Attack Vector
NetworkAdjacentLocalPhysical
Attack Complexity
LowHigh
Privileges Required
NoneLowHigh
User Interaction
NoneRequired
Scope
ChangedUnchanged
Confidentiality Impact
HighLowNone
Integrity Impact
HighLowNone
Availability Impact
HighLowNone

Source materials

Affected products

Products and packages named in the record

VendorProductVersion / packageStatus
CesantaMongoose6.8Listed
Weakness

CWE details

No CWE listed

CWE links open Glexia weakness intelligence pages with official CWE context, developer remediation guidance, and related CVE mappings.