CVE-2026-53918
odhcpd DHCPv6 IA dangling first pointer use-after-free
odhcpd is the DHCPv6, DHCPv4, and router-advertisement server used by OpenWrt. Prior to version 25.12, odhcpd's DHCPv6 IA handler keeps a per-message first lease pointer so multiple IA options in one message reuse the same Reconfigure authentication key. A DHCPv6 REQUEST from an adjacent-network client can make the first IA set first, then make a later same-IAID IA fail the on-link check and free that same lease, leaving first dangling. A following IA in the same packet allocates a new lease and copies first->key, producing a 16-byte heap-use-after-free read. ASan confirms the UAF; native tracing shows the packet shape can deterministically reclaim the freed lease as the destination allocation, producing a zeroed Reconfigure key copy. The validated impact is unauthenticated adjacent-network denial of service and DHCPv6 Reconfigure/ForceRenew key confusion. Arbitrary PC control is not proven for this UAF alone. This issue has been patched in version 25.12.
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
- Low
- Availability
- High
Exploit likelihood
What each source reports
CVE List Score used
8.8
odhcpd DHCPv6 IA dangling first pointer use-after-free
odhcpd is the DHCPv6, DHCPv4, and router-advertisement server used by OpenWrt. Prior to version 25.12, odhcpd's DHCPv6 IA handler keeps a per-message first lease pointer so multiple IA options in one message reuse the same Reconfigure authentication key. A DHCPv6 REQUEST from an adjacent-network client can make the first IA set first, then make a later same-IAID IA fail the on-link check and free that same lease, leaving first dangling. A following IA in the same packet allocates a new lease and copies first->key, producing a 16-byte heap-use-after-free read. ASan confirms the UAF; native tracing shows the packet shape can deterministically reclaim the freed lease as the destination allocation, producing a zeroed Reconfigure key copy. The validated impact is unauthenticated adjacent-network denial of service and DHCPv6 Reconfigure/ForceRenew key confusion. Arbitrary PC control is not proven for this UAF alone. This issue has been patched in version 25.12.
- Record
CVE-2026-53918- CVSS 4.0
- 8.8 High
CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:N/UI:N/VC:N/VI:L/VA:H/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N - Weakness
- CWE-416, CWE-672, CWE-825
- Updated
- 2026-11-02
EUVDEUVD-2026-108969
8.8
odhcpd is the DHCPv6, DHCPv4, and router-advertisement server used by OpenWrt. Prior to version 25.12, odhcpd's DHCPv6 IA handler keeps a per-message first lease pointer so multiple IA options in one message reuse the same Reconfigure authentication key. A DHCPv6 REQUEST from an adjacent-network client can make the first IA set first, then make a later same-IAID IA fail the on-link check and free that same lease, leaving first dangling. A following IA in the same packet allocates a new lease and copies first->key, producing a 16-byte heap-use-after-free read. ASan confirms the UAF; native tracing shows the packet shape can deterministically reclaim the freed lease as the destination allocation, producing a zeroed Reconfigure key copy. The validated impact is unauthenticated adjacent-network denial of service and DHCPv6 Reconfigure/ForceRenew key confusion. Arbitrary PC control is not proven for this UAF alone. This issue has been patched in version 25.12.
- Record
EUVD-2026-108969- CVSS 4.0
- 8.8 High
CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:N/UI:N/VC:N/VI:L/VA:H/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N - Updated
- 2026-11-02
NVD
8.8
odhcpd is the DHCPv6, DHCPv4, and router-advertisement server used by OpenWrt. Prior to version 25.12, odhcpd's DHCPv6 IA handler keeps a per-message first lease pointer so multiple IA options in one message reuse the same Reconfigure authentication key. A DHCPv6 REQUEST from an adjacent-network client can make the first IA set first, then make a later same-IAID IA fail the on-link check and free that same lease, leaving first dangling. A following IA in the same packet allocates a new lease and copies first->key, producing a 16-byte heap-use-after-free read. ASan confirms the UAF; native tracing shows the packet shape can deterministically reclaim the freed lease as the destination allocation, producing a zeroed Reconfigure key copy. The validated impact is unauthenticated adjacent-network denial of service and DHCPv6 Reconfigure/ForceRenew key confusion. Arbitrary PC control is not proven for this UAF alone. This issue has been patched in version 25.12.
- Record
CVE-2026-53918- CVSS 4.0
- 8.8 High
CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:N/UI:N/VC:N/VI:L/VA:H/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N/E:X/CR:X/IR:X/AR:X/MAV:X/MAC:X/MAT:X/MPR:X/MUI:X/MVC:X/MVI:X/MVA:X/MSC:X/MSI:X/MSA:X/S:X/AU:X/R:X/V:X/RE:X/U:X - Weakness
- CWE-416, CWE-672, CWE-825
- Updated
- 2026-11-02
OSV
8.8
odhcpd DHCPv6 IA dangling first pointer use-after-free
odhcpd is the DHCPv6, DHCPv4, and router-advertisement server used by OpenWrt. Prior to version 25.12, odhcpd's DHCPv6 IA handler keeps a per-message first lease pointer so multiple IA options in one message reuse the same Reconfigure authentication key. A DHCPv6 REQUEST from an adjacent-network client can make the first IA set first, then make a later same-IAID IA fail the on-link check and free that same lease, leaving first dangling. A following IA in the same packet allocates a new lease and copies first->key, producing a 16-byte heap-use-after-free read. ASan confirms the UAF; native tracing shows the packet shape can deterministically reclaim the freed lease as the destination allocation, producing a zeroed Reconfigure key copy. The validated impact is unauthenticated adjacent-network denial of service and DHCPv6 Reconfigure/ForceRenew key confusion. Arbitrary PC control is not proven for this UAF alone. This issue has been patched in version 25.12.
- Record
CVE-2026-53918- CVSS 4.0
- 8.8 High
CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:N/UI:N/VC:N/VI:L/VA:H/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N - Weakness
- CWE-416, CWE-672, CWE-825
- Updated
- 2026-11-02
Affected products
History
| Recorded | Changed | Sources |
|---|---|---|
| first indexed | CVE List, EUVD, NVD, OSV |
Dates are when Every CVE recorded each change. Upstream dates may differ.
In short
CVE-2026-53918 is a high vulnerability (CVSS 8.8) in Openwrt Odhcpd, published October 23, 2026. No source lists public exploit code. EPSS puts the chance of exploitation in the next 30 days at 0.62%, the 49th percentile. No source names a fixed version.
References
github.com/openwrt/odhcpd/security/advisories/GHSA-44ff-jcwh-wgc2
github.com/openwrt/odhcpd/commit/26b122007030ebf192376aff8f98d428b25e2a93
github.com/openwrt/odhcpd/commit/5b283832c0a77aed20f1cc384ffc40bc768b06e9
github.com/CVEProject/cvelistV5/tree/main/cves/2026/53xxx/CVE-2026-53918.json
nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-53918