free5GC is an open source 5G core network. free5GC CHF prior to version 1.2.2 has an out-of-bounds slice access vulnerability in the CHF nchf-convergedcharging service. A valid authenticated request to PUT /nchf-convergedcharging/v3/recharging/:ueId?ratingGroup=... can trigger a server-side panic in github.com/free5gc/chf/internal/sbi.(*Server).RechargePut(...) due to an out-of-range slice access. In the reported runtime, Gin recovery converts the panic into HTTP 500, but the recharge path remains remotely panic-triggerable and can be abused repeatedly to degrade recharge functionality and flood logs. In deployments without equivalent recovery handling, this panic may cause more severe service disruption. free5GC CHF patches the issue. Some workarounds are available: Restrict access to the nchf-convergedcharging recharge endpoint to strictly trusted NF callers only; apply rate limiting or network ACLs in front of the CHF SBI interface to reduce repeated panic-trigger attempts; if the recharge API is not required, temporarily disable or block external reachability to this route; and/or ensure panic recovery, monitoring, and alerting are enabled.
| Software | From | Fixed in |
|---|---|---|
github.com/free5gc/chf
|
- | 1.2.2 |
| free5gc / free5gc | - | 1.2.2 |
A security vulnerability is a weakness in software, hardware, or configuration that can be exploited to compromise confidentiality, integrity, or availability. Many vulnerabilities are tracked as CVEs (Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures), which provide a standardized identifier so teams can coordinate patching, mitigation, and risk assessment across tools and vendors.
CVSS (Common Vulnerability Scoring System) estimates technical severity, but it doesn't automatically equal business risk. Prioritize using context like internet exposure, affected asset criticality, known exploitation (proof-of-concept or in-the-wild), and whether compensating controls exist. A "Medium" CVSS on an exposed, production system can be more urgent than a "Critical" on an isolated, non-production host.
A vulnerability is the underlying weakness. An exploit is the method or code used to take advantage of it. A zero-day is a vulnerability that is unknown to the vendor or has no publicly available fix when attackers begin using it. In practice, risk increases sharply when exploitation becomes reliable or widespread.
Recurring findings usually come from incomplete Asset Discovery, inconsistent patch management, inherited images, and configuration drift. In modern environments, you also need to watch the software supply chain: dependencies, containers, build pipelines, and third-party services can reintroduce the same weakness even after you patch a single host. Unknown or unmanaged assets (often called Shadow IT) are a common reason the same issues resurface.
Use a simple, repeatable triage model: focus first on externally exposed assets, high-value systems (identity, VPN, email, production), vulnerabilities with known exploits, and issues that enable remote code execution or privilege escalation. Then enforce patch SLAs and track progress using consistent metrics so remediation is steady, not reactive.
SynScan combines attack surface monitoring and continuous security auditing to keep your inventory current, flag high-impact vulnerabilities early, and help you turn raw findings into a practical remediation plan.