Heap corruption via concurrent HID interface teardown
Published Jan 12, 2026 · Updated Jan 12, 2026
Double free in Espressif Systems ESP-USB before 1.1.0 allows physically proximate attackers to corrupt host heap metadata. The USB event callback and hid_host_device_close() use shared hid_iface_t state without locking, allowing both paths to tear down a READY interface and free the same usb_transfer_t. Exploitation requires a malicious HID gadget to force repeated disconnects during an application close call with sub-microsecond timing; a successful race can crash the host or tamper with heap metadata.
Summary
What happened
Double free in Espressif Systems ESP-USB before 1.1.0 allows physically proximate attackers to corrupt host heap metadata. The USB event callback and hid_host_device_close() use shared hid_iface_t state without locking, allowing both paths to tear down a READY interface and free the same usb_transfer_t. Exploitation requires a malicious HID gadget to force repeated disconnects during an application close call with sub-microsecond timing; a successful race can crash the host or tamper with heap metadata.
The record
- CVE
- CVE-2025-68657
- Published
- Jan 12, 2026
- Updated
- Jan 12, 2026
- Vendor
- Espressif Systems
- Product
- ESP-USB
- Classifications
- CWE-415, CWE-667, T1200
- Attack vector
- physical
- Privileges
- unauthenticated
Timeline
How it unfolded
- Jan 12, 2026CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
- Jan 12, 2026Record updatedLatest update available in the CVE record.
Exploitability
Present is not the same as exploitable
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Is a vulnerable build present?
Compare these published version ranges with your installed build and any vendor patches.
- Affected versionversion=< 1.1.0
What conditions does exploitation require?
What is affected?
Published CVSS scores
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.
Public exploit references
- Deterministic close-path race PoCproof of concept · demonstrated
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Technologies
Your stack
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Your stack
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