CVE-2025-61099
Description
A NULL pointer dereference vulnerability was found in FRRouting within the show_opaque_info_detail function within ospf_opaque.c. When the OSPF daemon (ospfd) is configured with the debug command debug ospf packet all send/recv detail, it attempts to display detailed information of all received or sent OSPF packets through the VTY interface or zlog. Due to a missing check for functab->show_opaque_info, a NULL pointer dereference can occur when processing a crafted LS Update packet.
Statement
Exploitation of this issue requires specific conditions, as it is only triggered when OSPF debug mode is manually enabled using the debug ospf packet all send/recv detail command, which is disabled by default. Related commands such as debug ospf packet ls-update send/recv detail merely enable verbose logging for diagnostic purposes and do not alter the normal packet handling or parsing behavior of the OSPF daemon.
This issue is rated Moderate rather than Important because it depends on a very specific and non-default runtime condition for exploitation. The vulnerable code path is only reachable when OSPF detailed packet debugging (debug ospf packet all send/recv detail) is explicitly enabled, which is typically used for temporary diagnostic purposes and not in production environments. In normal operation, the affected function is not invoked, thereby significantly reducing exposure. Furthermore, the flaw leads solely to a NULL pointer dereference, causing a crash of the ospfd process without memory corruption or control-flow hijacking potential.
Mitigation
No mitigation is currently available that meets Red Hat Product Security’s standards for usability, deployment, applicability, or stability.
Common Vulnerability Scoring System (CVSS) Score Details
Info alert:Important note
CVSS scores for open source components depend on vendor-specific factors (e.g. version or build chain). Therefore, Red Hat's score and impact rating can be different from NVD and other vendors. Red Hat remains the authoritative CVE Naming Authority (CNA) source for its products and services (see Red Hat classifications).
The following CVSS metrics and score provided are preliminary and subject to review.
CVSS v3 Score Breakdown
| Red Hat | NVD | cve.org | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Base Score | 5.9 | N/A | 7.5 |
| Attack Vector | Network | N/A | Network |
| Attack Complexity | High | N/A | Low |
| Privileges Required | None | N/A | None |
| User Interaction | None | N/A | None |
| Scope | Unchanged | N/A | Unchanged |
| Confidentiality | None | N/A | None |
| Integrity Impact | None | N/A | None |
| Availability Impact | High | N/A | High |
Vector
Red Hat: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H
cve.org: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H
Understanding the Weakness (CWE)
Availability
Technical Impact: DoS: Crash, Exit, or Restart
NULL pointer dereferences usually result in the failure of the process unless exception handling (on some platforms) is available and implemented. Even when exception handling is being used, it can still be very difficult to return the software to a safe state of operation.
Integrity,Confidentiality
Technical Impact: Execute Unauthorized Code or Commands; Read Memory; Modify Memory
In rare circumstances, when NULL is equivalent to the 0x0 memory address and privileged code can access it, then writing or reading memory is possible, which may lead to code execution.
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