CVE-2021-41061Public exploit

Ciphertext disclosure via reboot-reset frame counter

Published Sep 15, 2021 · Updated Aug 4, 2024

Cryptographic nonce reuse in RIOT-OS 2021.01 allows local users to recover information from 802.15.4 ciphertext after a device reboot. The ieee802154_security frame counter restarts at zero while the flashed key and sender link-layer address remain constant, causing AES-CCM to reuse nonce-and-key pairs. Exploitation requires low-privileged local ability to trigger a reboot and capture encrypted traffic; it exposes repeated plaintext structure without reported integrity or availability impact.

CVSS severity5.5
Medium
EPSS probability0.21%
Next 30 days · Sep 16, 2026
Known exploitationUnconfirmed
Based on sourced intelligence
Hinoki checkNot available
Coverage for this vulnerability

See if you're affected

Explore vulnerability checks for your environment with Hinoki.

Book a demo

Summary

What happened

Cryptographic nonce reuse in RIOT-OS 2021.01 allows local users to recover information from 802.15.4 ciphertext after a device reboot. The ieee802154_security frame counter restarts at zero while the flashed key and sender link-layer address remain constant, causing AES-CCM to reuse nonce-and-key pairs. Exploitation requires low-privileged local ability to trigger a reboot and capture encrypted traffic; it exposes repeated plaintext structure without reported integrity or availability impact.

The record

CVE
CVE-2021-41061
Published
Sep 15, 2021
Updated
Aug 4, 2024
Vendor
Unknown vendor
Product
Unknown product
Classifications
CWE-330, T1040
Attack vector
local
Privileges
authenticated

Timeline

How it unfolded

  1. Sep 15, 2021CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
  2. Aug 4, 2024Record updatedLatest update available in the CVE record.

Exploitability

Present is not the same as exploitable

Compare your product and version with the public record. A matching version still requires validation against your environment.

Is a vulnerable build present?

Affected buildAffected product and version details are unavailable.

What conditions does exploitation require?

Attack vectorlocal
Required privilegesauthenticated

What is affected?

Affected products and versions are unavailable in this record.

Published CVSS scores

5.5NIST NVDCVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N
2.1NIST NVDAV:L/AC:L/Au:N/C:P/I:N/A:N

CVSS describes severity. EPSS estimates exploitation probability.

Attacks

What attackers are doing with it

Daily unique IPs observed by Shadowserver honeypots for known exploited vulnerabilities (KEVs). Missing observations do not establish an absence of attacks.

Daily unique IPsNo honeypot observations are available for this CVE in the selected window.

No observations available

Sep 10, 2026Sep 16, 2026
Latest reporting daySep 16, 2026
Latest daily unique IPsUnavailable
Prior 30-day averageUnavailable
SourceShadowserver honeypots (KEV)
Vectorlocal
Privilegesauthenticated
Known exploitationUnconfirmed
Public exploitPublished

Weakness, pattern, technique

CWE-330Use of Insufficiently Random Values
T1040Network Sniffing

Public exploit references

Labels summarize the accepted research assessment. They do not indicate a test against your environment.

Technologies

Your stack

See the directory against your own environment.

Your stack

Check the software in your environment

Book a demo to see how Hinoki identifies affected software and validates exploitability in your environment.

Book a demo