DoS via Wild Pointer in ThreadX OSEK's CreateCounter()
CVE-2026-0648 Published on January 27, 2026

The vulnerability stems from an incorrect error-checking logic in the CreateCounter() function (in threadx/utility/rtos_compatibility_layers/OSEK/tx_osek.c) when handling the return value of osek_get_counter(). Specifically, the current code checks if cntr_id equals 0u to determine failure, but @osek_get_counter() actually returns E_OS_SYS_STACK (defined as 12U) when it fails. This mismatch causes the error branch to never execute even when the counter pool is exhausted. As a result, when the counter pool is depleted, the code proceeds to cast the error code (12U) to a pointer (OSEK_COUNTER *), creating a wild pointer. Subsequent writes to members of this pointer lead to writes to illegal memory addresses (e.g., 0x0000000C), which can trigger immediate HardFaults or silent memory corruption. This vulnerability poses significant risks, including potential denial-of-service attacks (via repeated calls to exhaust the counter pool) and unauthorized memory access.

NVD

Vulnerability Analysis

CVE-2026-0648 is exploitable with local system access, and requires small amount of user privileges. This vulnerability is consided to have a high level of attack complexity. The potential impact of an exploit of this vulnerability is considered to be very high.

Attack Vector:
LOCAL
Attack Complexity:
HIGH
Privileges Required:
LOW
User Interaction:
NONE
Scope:
CHANGED
Confidentiality Impact:
HIGH
Integrity Impact:
HIGH
Availability Impact:
HIGH

Weakness Type

Incorrect Check of Function Return Value

The software incorrectly checks a return value from a function, which prevents the software from detecting errors or exceptional conditions. Important and common functions will return some value about the success of its actions. This will alert the program whether or not to handle any errors caused by that function.


Products Associated with CVE-2026-0648

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Eclipse Threadx
 

Affected Versions

Eclipse Foundation Eclipse ThreadX:

Exploit Probability

EPSS
0.02%
Percentile
4.89%

EPSS (Exploit Prediction Scoring System) scores estimate the probability that a vulnerability will be exploited in the wild within the next 30 days. The percentile shows you how this score compares to all other vulnerabilities.