Published At-29 Jun, 2026 | 22:16
Updated At-14 Jul, 2026 | 19:16
The USB CDC-NCM device class (subsys/usb/device_next/class/usbd_cdc_ncm.c) ignores the return value of usbd_ep_enqueue() in its ethernet transmit callback cdc_ncm_send(). When the enqueue fails, the function still calls k_sem_take(&data->sync_sem, K_FOREVER), blocking on a completion semaphore that is only ever signaled from the bulk-IN transfer-completion callback. Because nothing was enqueued, that callback never fires and the calling thread — a shared network traffic-class TX thread — deadlocks permanently while holding the interface TX lock, halting transmission until reboot (and leaking the transmit buffer).
The enqueue fails under conditions controlled by the attached USB host: usbd_ep_enqueue() returns -EPERM whenever the bus is suspended (a standard, persistent host operation), and the underlying udc_ep_enqueue() returns -EPERM/-ENODEV on disconnect, bus reset, or endpoint disable. The cdc_ncm_send() guard only checks the DATA_IFACE_ENABLED and IFACE_UP flags, not the suspended state, so a packet transmitted while the host holds the bus suspended reaches the failing enqueue and deadlocks the TX path.
The realistic trigger is a bus suspend that occurs while the exported network interface is active and has traffic to send — host sleep, USB selective/auto-suspend, or hub power management — after which any device-originated packet deadlocks the path, recoverable only by reboot. The impact is a persistent loss of the virtual network connection between the host's NCM interface and the Zephyr device; because the deadlocked thread is a shared traffic-class TX thread, egress on other network interfaces can stall as well. There is no memory corruption or information disclosure.
The defect was introduced with the CDC-NCM driver and shipped in releases through v4.4.0; it is fixed by checking the usbd_ep_enqueue() return value and freeing the buffer before the blocking wait.
CISA Catalog
| Date Added | Due Date | Vulnerability Name | Required Action |
|---|
| N/A | | |
Date Added: N/A
Due Date: N/A
Vulnerability Name: N/A
Required Action: N/A
Metrics
| Type | Version | Base score | Base severity | Vector |
|---|
| Secondary | 3.1 | 5.3 | MEDIUM | CVSS:3.1/AV:A/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H |
| | | N/A | |
Type: Secondary
Version: 3.1
Base score: 5.3
Base severity: MEDIUM
Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:A/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H
Type: N/A
Version:
Base score:
Base severity: N/A
Weaknesses
| CWE ID | Type | Source |
|---|
| CWE-833 | Secondary | vulnerabilities@zephyrproject.org |
| CWE-667 | Primary | nvd@nist.gov |
Type: Secondary
Source: vulnerabilities@zephyrproject.org
Type: Primary
Source: nvd@nist.gov
Change History
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