CVE-2026-23833CWE-190

ESPHome vulnerable to denial-of-service via out-of-bounds check bypass in the API component

Low · published January 19, 2026

CVSS v4.0
1.7
EPSS
0%
Percentile
21.7
In the wild
Unconfirmed
What it is

ESPHome is a system to control microcontrollers remotely through Home Automation systems. In versions 2025.9.0 through 2025.12.6, an integer overflow in the API component's protobuf decoder allows denial-of-service attacks when API encryption is not used. The bounds check `ptr + field_length > end` in `components/api/proto.cpp` can overflow when a malicious client sends a large `field_length` value. This affects all ESPHome device platforms (ESP32, ESP8266, RP2040, LibreTiny). The overflow bypasses the out-of-bounds check, causing the device to read invalid memory and crash. When using the plaintext API protocol, this attack can be performed without authentication. When noise encryption is enabled, knowledge of the encryption key is required. Users should upgrade to ESPHome 2025.12.7 or later to receive a patch, enable API encryption with a unique key per device, and follow the Security Best Practices.

The record
Technical detail
CVSS v4.0
1.7 · LOW
Vector
CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:P/PR:N/UI:N/VC:N/VI:N/VA:L/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N/E:U
EPSS
0.00301 · 21.7th percentile
Weakness
CWE-190 · Integer Overflow or Wraparound
Published
2026-01-19T17:58Z
EPSS history
Timeline
  • 19 JAN 17:58Z
    ESPHome vulnerable to denial-of-service via out-of-bounds check bypass in the API component
    cvelistv5