Executive brief
A security vulnerability exists in the Espressif IoT Development Framework (ESP-IDF), specifically within the component that manages secure operations. This flaw could allow an attacker to bypass security boundaries intended to protect sensitive hardware and data, such as encryption keys and secure storage. If exploited, it could lead to unauthorized access to protected information or the ability to modify critical system firmware.
Technical details
The vulnerability (CWE-20, CWE-787) exists in the esp_tee component of ESP-IDF versions 5.5.4 and 6.0. The issue stems from missing input validation in secure-service wrappers within esp_secure_services.c and esp_secure_services_iram.c, which bridge calls from the Rich Execution Environment (REE) to the Trusted Execution Environment (TEE). Specifically, a potential integer overflow in OTA write bounds checking and an unprotected service call table in DRAM allowed for memory corruption or unauthorized service execution. Attackers can exploit this to gain access to TEE-protected hardware (AES, SHA, ECC) and security features like attestation and secure storage. Patches are available in versions 5.5.5 and 6.0.1.
Affected products
- Espressif Systems ESP-IDF 5.5.4, 6.0
Timeline
- 2026-06-10: advisory: NVD publication date
- 2026-04-09: patched: Fixes committed to GitHub repository
References
- https://github.com/espressif/esp-idf/commit/145ba4c42dc8283054cfde9a1c3470db7399192f
- https://github.com/espressif/esp-idf/commit/440a5d1906502023f2a0fb0aecbdf0602d14acbf
- https://github.com/espressif/esp-idf/commit/764626a1b7c85b943d207da08a2f8f7d7f3def4d
- https://github.com/espressif/esp-idf/commit/7867f4a57560bf9fc4a931e37ba02b7a3e9f406b
- https://github.com/espressif/esp-idf/commit/afd14ab113acd0ca369965404c99ac42e74d4fcd
- https://github.com/espressif/esp-idf/commit/eebabaff2fdc273b1530fe66e55fb3bcd181dfd6
- https://github.com/espressif/esp-idf/security/advisories/GHSA-mmgp-73p4-92xp