{
  "affected": [
    {
      "ranges": [
        {
          "database_specific": {
            "extracted_events": [
              {
                "introduced": "4.1.0"
              },
              {
                "fixed": "4.4.2"
              }
            ],
            "source": [
              "AFFECTED_FIELD",
              "REFERENCES"
            ]
          },
          "events": [
            {
              "introduced": "7823374e872145b5bd018bfe447839eb36042611"
            },
            {
              "fixed": "bd21e954c36be105a374bbc090623810f1a17ee3"
            }
          ],
          "repo": "https://github.com/zephyrproject-rtos/zephyr",
          "type": "GIT"
        }
      ]
    }
  ],
  "aliases": [
    "GHSA-c4g8-4f9p-4746"
  ],
  "database_specific": {
    "cna_assigner": "zephyr",
    "cwe_ids": [
      "CWE-476"
    ],
    "osv_generated_from": "https://github.com/CVEProject/cvelistV5/tree/main/cves/2026/15xxx/CVE-2026-15891.json"
  },
  "details": "The MQTT-SN client keepalive handler process_ping() in subsys/net/lib/mqtt_sn/mqtt_sn.c removes the gateway record after PINGREQ retries are exhausted. It invoked SYS_SLIST_PEEK_HEAD_CONTAINER(\u0026client-\u003egateways, gw, next) but discarded the result. That macro is a pure expression that does not assign to gw, so gw retained its NULL initializer regardless of the list contents.\n\nThe code then dereferences the NULL gw (gw-\u003egw_id) and passes it to mqtt_sn_gw_destroy(), reaching k_mem_slab_free(\u0026gateways, NULL). With CONFIG_MEM_SLAB_POINTER_VALIDATE enabled this triggers k_panic(); in the default configuration it performs a write through the NULL pointer ((char )mem = slab-\u003efree_list;) and corrupts the slab free list. The outcome is a crash/kernel panic or, on targets where address 0 is writable, silent memory-allocator corruption.\n\nThe vulnerable branch runs whenever the connected MQTT-SN gateway fails to answer keepalive PINGREQs for the configured number of retries. This condition is controlled by the remote peer: a malicious or compromised gateway, or an on-path/adjacent attacker that advertises itself as a gateway and then stops responding (or blackholes the real gateway's PINGRESPs), forces the client into the defect. MQTT-SN runs over UDP and no authentication is required.\n\nThe impact is a remotely triggerable denial of service (availability) of the affected MQTT-SN client; there is no attacker-controlled data written. The sibling remover process_advertise() uses SYS_SLIST_FOR_EACH_CONTAINER_SAFE and is not affected. The fix assigns the macro's return value to gw.",
  "id": "CVE-2026-15891",
  "modified": "2026-09-16T03:31:03.019696198Z",
  "published": "2026-09-13T22:46:15.222Z",
  "references": [
    {
      "type": "ADVISORY",
      "url": "https://github.com/CVEProject/cvelistV5/tree/main/cves/2026/15xxx/CVE-2026-15891.json"
    },
    {
      "type": "ADVISORY",
      "url": "https://github.com/zephyrproject-rtos/zephyr/security/advisories/GHSA-c4g8-4f9p-4746"
    },
    {
      "type": "ADVISORY",
      "url": "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-15891"
    },
    {
      "type": "FIX",
      "url": "https://github.com/zephyrproject-rtos/zephyr/commit/bd21e954c36be105a374bbc090623810f1a17ee3"
    },
    {
      "type": "PACKAGE",
      "url": "https://github.com/zephyrproject-rtos/zephyr"
    }
  ],
  "schema_version": "1.9.0",
  "severity": [
    {
      "score": "CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H",
      "type": "CVSS_V3"
    }
  ],
  "summary": "NULL pointer dereference in Zephyr MQTT-SN client when removing a non-responsive gateway"
}