CVE-2024-51500 | Failure to check for packets from the broadcast address allows potential DDoS amplification attack in Meshtastic firmware

Meshtastic firmware is a device firmware for the Meshtastic project. The Meshtastic firmware does not check for packets claiming to be from the special broadcast address (0xFFFFFFFF) which could result in unexpected behavior and potential for DDoS attacks on the network. A malicious actor could craft a packet to be from that address which would result in an amplification of this one message into every node on the network sending multiple messages. Such an attack could result in degraded network performance for all users as the available bandwidth is consumed. This issue has been addressed in release version 2.5.6. All users are advised to upgrade. There are no known workarounds for this vulnerability.

Published: 2024-11-04 Last update: 2026-06-17 Assigner: [email protected] Source: [email protected]

Conclusion & alert: CVE-2024-51500 is rated Low Risk (32.6/100): CVSS Medium severity, with low exploitation likelihood (EPSS 0.40%). Mandatory action: Monitor for updates and reassess as exploit intelligence or EPSS changes.

Risk is dynamic; we continuously reassess and refresh what is shown on this page as upstream context changes.

Exploit prediction scoring system (EPSS) score for CVE-2024-51500

EPSS lead: Daily EPSS estimates relative likelihood of exploitation; percentile ranks this CVE among scored vulnerabilities (higher = more severe relative rank).

# Date Old EPSS score New EPSS score Delta (New - Old)
1 2026-06-15 0.06% 0.40% +0.35%
2 2025-12-13 0.20% 0.06% -0.14%
3 2025-11-21 0.20%

Full EPSS history (7 records total)

Common vulnerability scoring system (CVSS) metrics for CVE-2024-51500

CVSS metrics for this CVE.

Base score Version Severity Vector Exploitability Impact Score source
5.3 3.1 MEDIUM
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:L Click to expand
Attack vector (AV:N)
Could be attacked over the internet or any normal routed network—not just someone sitting at the machine.
Attack complexity (AC:L)
Once they can reach the bug, pulling it off is straightforward—no weird race conditions or rare setup.
Privileges required (PR:N)
No account or special rights needed—anonymous or random user is enough.
User interaction (UI:N)
Nobody has to click “OK” or open a trap file; it can work without a victim helping.
Scope (S:U)
Damage stays in the same “trust bubble” as the broken component—no big spill into unrelated systems.
Confidentiality (C:N)
Doesn’t really leak secrets in a meaningful way.
Integrity (I:N)
Data isn’t meaningfully altered or forged.
Availability (A:L)
Might cause slowdowns, glitches, or partial disruption—not a full brick.
3.9 1.4 [email protected]
7.5 3.1 HIGH
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H Click to expand
Attack vector (AV:N)
Could be attacked over the internet or any normal routed network—not just someone sitting at the machine.
Attack complexity (AC:L)
Once they can reach the bug, pulling it off is straightforward—no weird race conditions or rare setup.
Privileges required (PR:N)
No account or special rights needed—anonymous or random user is enough.
User interaction (UI:N)
Nobody has to click “OK” or open a trap file; it can work without a victim helping.
Scope (S:U)
Damage stays in the same “trust bubble” as the broken component—no big spill into unrelated systems.
Confidentiality (C:N)
Doesn’t really leak secrets in a meaningful way.
Integrity (I:N)
Data isn’t meaningfully altered or forged.
Availability (A:H)
Could take the service down hard or make it unusable for people who depend on it.
3.9 3.6 [email protected]

Weakness enumeration for CVE-2024-51500

Affected software / configurations for CVE-2024-51500

Vendor Product Version Raw CPE
meshtastic meshtastic_firmware < 2.5.6 cpe:2.3:o:meshtastic:meshtastic_firmware:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*

References for CVE-2024-51500

cvelogic Threat Intelligence