# CVE-2026-85431: MOOS essential-moos UDP packet injection in pMOOSBridge

Source: https://junglewise.ai/threats/cve-2026-85431-moos-essential-moos-udp-packet-injection-in-pmoosbridge  
Publisher: Junglewise Threat Intelligence, https://junglewise.ai/threats  
Published: 2026-09-03. Updated: 2026-09-26  
License: CC BY 4.0 with a link back

CVE-2026-85431 · Severity: high · CVSS 7.5 · Published 2026-09-03

MOOS essential-moos is a set of communication utilities used in marine robotics and autonomous systems. pMOOSBridge, a component in this suite, allows UDP-based network communication and fails to validate the source or authenticity of incoming packets. An attacker on the network can send crafted UDP packets to inject arbitrary data into the local MOOS system, potentially disrupting operations, corrupting state, or causing application failures.

Technologies: [MOOS Essential-Moos](https://junglewise.ai/threats/technologies/essential-moos). Vendors: [MOOS](https://junglewise.ai/threats/vendors/moos).

## Quick answers

**Is CVE-2026-85431 exploited in the wild?** No. Junglewise Threat Intelligence has no report of CVE-2026-85431 being exploited in the wild.

**How severe is CVE-2026-85431?** High severity, with a CVSS score of 7.5, published 3 September 2026.

**Which products and versions are affected?** MOOS Essential-Moos through version 10.0.1.

**Is there a fix for CVE-2026-85431?** No fixed version is recorded yet. Check the vendor's advisory in the references below. If you run it, Junglewise drafts a mitigation that fits your setup and applies it once you approve, with senior security engineers behind it.

**How is CVE-2026-85431 attacked?** It is attacked over the network, in a software library.

**Am I affected by CVE-2026-85431?** Check whether you run MOOS Essential-Moos at an affected version. Junglewise does that check for you around the clock: connect your code, cloud and domains, and it matches new vulnerabilities like this one against what you actually run and tells you when one reaches you.

## Technical details

This is an unauthenticated UDP packet injection vulnerability in the pMOOSBridge component when configured with UDPListen enabled. The vulnerable code in MOOSUDPLink.cpp receives UDP packets without validating the source identity or message authenticity. An attacker on the network (no authentication required) can send crafted UDP packets to the configured listening port to inject arbitrary MOOS variables with spoofed source and community identifiers. This allows complete message forgery within the local MOOS community, enabling data corruption, state manipulation, or denial of service. A patch is likely available in versions after 10.0.1.

## Affected products

- MOOS essential-moos through version 10.0.1

## Timeline

- 2026-09-03: disclosed

## References

- [https://github.com/themoos/essential-moos](https://github.com/themoos/essential-moos)
- [https://github.com/themoos/essential-moos/blob/b897ea86dba8b61412dc48ac0cfb5ff34cdaf5f6/Essentials/pMOOSBridge/MOOSUDPLink.cpp](https://github.com/themoos/essential-moos/blob/b897ea86dba8b61412dc48ac0cfb5ff34cdaf5f6/Essentials/pMOOSBridge/MOOSUDPLink.cpp)

## Related threats

- [MOOS essential-moos buffer overflow in CMOOSUDPLink](https://junglewise.ai/threats/cve-2026-85436-moos-essential-moos-buffer-overflow-in-cmoosudplink)
- [MOOS essential-moos pShare authorization bypass in PSHARE_CMD](https://junglewise.ai/threats/cve-2026-85433-moos-essential-moos-pshare-authorization-bypass-in-pshare-cmd)
- [MOOS pShare authentication bypass in UDP listener](https://junglewise.ai/threats/cve-2026-85430-moos-pshare-authentication-bypass-in-udp-listener)
- [MOOS essential-moos pAntler remote code execution](https://junglewise.ai/threats/cve-2026-85427-moos-essential-moos-pantler-remote-code-execution)