Service instability via calibration task startup race
Published Sep 4, 2026 · Updated Sep 4, 2026
Use-after-free in PX4 Autopilot through 1.17.0 allows attackers with shell-command access to corrupt heap memory during calibration. TemperatureCalibration::start() can overlap task spawning with object deletion, leaving the spawned task to write through a freed heap pointer. Shell-command access and a timing overlap are required; successful triggering can corrupt unrelated objects or allocator metadata and destabilize flight-control processes.
Summary
What happened
Use-after-free in PX4 Autopilot through 1.17.0 allows attackers with shell-command access to corrupt heap memory during calibration. TemperatureCalibration::start() can overlap task spawning with object deletion, leaving the spawned task to write through a freed heap pointer. Shell-command access and a timing overlap are required; successful triggering can corrupt unrelated objects or allocator metadata and destabilize flight-control processes.
The record
- CVE
- CVE-2026-86096
- Published
- Sep 4, 2026
- Updated
- Sep 4, 2026
- Vendor
- PX4
- Product
- PX4 Autopilot
- Classifications
- T1499
- Attack vector
- local
- Privileges
- Unavailable
Timeline
How it unfolded
- Sep 4, 2026CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
- Sep 4, 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?
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- Affected versionversion=0 <=1.17.0
What conditions does exploitation require?
What is affected?
Published CVSS scores
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Attacks
What attackers are doing with it
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Weakness, pattern, technique
Public exploit references
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Technologies
Your stack
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Your stack
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