CVE-2026-44322

free5GC's NEF 3gpp-pfd-management PATCH applications/{appId} panics on UDR access failure due to nil ProblemDetails dereference

NULL pointer dereference (CWE-476) caused by improper handling of an exceptional branch (CWE-754): the errPfdData != nil branch reads problemDetails.Cause even though problemDetails is nil by construction in that branch (the prior case already matched the non-nil case). The intended target was the locally constructed problemDetailsErr.Cause.

Gin recovery catches the panic, so the NEF process is NOT killed and other endpoints continue serving. The realized impact is per-request: PATCH against this endpoint returns 500 (with empty body and a stack trace in NEF logs) instead of the intended controlled UDR-failure response, whenever upstream UDR access is failing.

No Confidentiality impact (the response is 500 with empty body). No persistent Integrity impact (the panic happens before any state mutation). Availability impact is limited to per-request degradation and only fires while UDR access is independently broken; the attacker does not directly control that precondition, so AC:H is the honest assessment.

Affected: free5gc v4.2.1.

Upstream issue: https://github.com/free5gc/free5gc/issues/925
Upstream fix: https://github.com/free5gc/nef/pull/22

The application dereferences a null pointer, causing a crash. Typical impact: denial of service via crash.

CVE-2026-44322 has a CVSS score of 7.5 (High). The vector is network-reachable, no privileges required, and no user interaction. A CVSS score reflects the worst-case severity of the vulnerability, not your specific exposure. Whether this affects your application depends on whether the vulnerable code is present and reachable in your environment. A fixed version is available (1.2.3); upgrading removes the vulnerable code path.

Kodem intelligence

1. What is CVE-2026-44322? CVE-2026-44322 is a high-severity null pointer dereference vulnerability in github.com/free5gc/nef (go), affecting versions < 1.2.3. It is fixed in 1.2.3. The application dereferences a null pointer, causing a crash.
2. How severe is CVE-2026-44322? CVE-2026-44322 has a CVSS score of 7.5 (High). This score reflects the worst-case severity of the vulnerability, not your specific exposure. Whether it represents real risk in your environment depends on whether the vulnerable code is present and reachable.
3. Which versions of github.com/free5gc/nef are affected by CVE-2026-44322? github.com/free5gc/nef (go) versions < 1.2.3 is affected.
4. Is there a fix for CVE-2026-44322? Yes. CVE-2026-44322 is fixed in 1.2.3. Upgrade to this version or later.
5. Is CVE-2026-44322 exploitable, and should I be worried? Whether CVE-2026-44322 is exploitable in your environment depends on whether the vulnerable code is present and reachable. A CVSS score is a worst-case rating; it does not account for your specific deployment, configuration, or usage patterns. Kodem, an Intelligent Application Security platform, uses runtime intelligence to show which vulnerabilities actually execute in production, so you can focus on the ones that represent real risk. Get a demo
6. What actually determines whether CVE-2026-44322 is exploitable, and how bad it is? Exploitability and impact are not fixed properties of a CVE. They depend on runtime truth: whether the vulnerable code is present, reachable, and actually executes in your application. A high CVSS score on a dependency that never runs is not the same as real risk. Kodem, an Intelligent Application Security platform, uses runtime intelligence to reveal which vulnerabilities actually execute in production, so teams prioritize the ones that genuinely matter.
7. How do I fix CVE-2026-44322? Upgrade github.com/free5gc/nef to 1.2.3 or later.