ardupilot through Plane-4.6.3 was found to contain an out-of-bounds read issue in libraries/GCS_MAVLink/GCS_serial_control.cpp in GCS_MAVLINK::handle_serial_control().
CVE-2026-38971
CRITICALPre-NVD 9.1Trending — 4 sources updated this weekElevated
9.1
EchelonGraph verdictPlan a fixSerious severity, but no confirmed exploitation yet.
- High severity, but no confirmed exploitation yet
CISA-KEV: Not listedEPSS: 0%CVSS: 9.1Exploit: NoneExposed: 0
No vendor fix yet — apply a workaround or compensating control (WAF / firewall / segmentation) and watch for a patch.
- CVSS v3
- 9.1
- EG Score
- 0.0(none)
- EPSS
- 6.1%
- KEV
- Not listed
Published
July 2, 2026
Last Modified
July 6, 2026
Advisory Details (3)
Auto-updated Jul 6, 2026Upstream fix merged — awaiting tagged release. Sources: github_pr.
generic
[BUG] Uninitialized Byte Propagation in ArduPilot's Live MAVLink SERIAL_CONTROL Forwarding Path · Issue #32524 · ArduPilot/ardupilot · GitHub
https://github.com/ArduPilot/ardupilot/issues/32524github_pr
GCS_MAVLink: fix buffer overread on invalid SERIAL_CONTROL write
Fix merged in ArduPilot/ardupilot PR #32587 on 2026-03-29 — awaiting tagged release
https://github.com/ArduPilot/ardupilot/pull/32587generic
GitHub - ArduPilot/ardupilot: ArduPlane, ArduCopter, ArduRover, ArduSub source · GitHub
https://github.com/ArduPilot/ardupilotVendor Advisories for CVE-2026-38971(1)
These vendors published their own advisory mentioning this CVE — often with vendor-specific remediation steps + affected product lists not in NVD.
Weakness Classification(1)
MITRE Common Weakness Enumeration — the root-cause categories this CVE belongs to.
Frequently asked(5)
What is CVE-2026-38971?
CVE-2026-38971 is a critical vulnerability published on July 2, 2026. ardupilot through Plane-4.6.3 was found to contain an out-of-bounds read issue in libraries/GCSMAVLink/GCSserialcontrol.cpp in GCSMAVLINK::handleserialcontrol().
When was CVE-2026-38971 disclosed?
CVE-2026-38971 was first published in the National Vulnerability Database on July 2, 2026, with the most recent update on July 6, 2026. EchelonGraph re-ingests CVE updates from NVD on a 2-hour cycle, so this page reflects the latest published state.
Is CVE-2026-38971 actively exploited?
CVE-2026-38971 is not currently on CISA's Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog. FIRST EPSS estimates a 6.1% percentile likelihood of exploitation in the next 30 days — higher percentiles indicate greater predicted risk.
What is the CVSS score of CVE-2026-38971?
CVE-2026-38971 has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 9.1 (CISA-ADP / Vulnrichment enrichment; NVD's own analysis pending). EchelonGraph synthesises NVD + CISA KEV + FIRST EPSS + GHSA into a combined EG score of 0.0.
How do I remediate CVE-2026-38971?
Patch to the fixed version published by the affected vendor. Where vendor advisories exist for CVE-2026-38971, EchelonGraph cross-links them in the Vendor Advisories panel below — those typically contain the canonical remediation steps, fixed version numbers, and any vendor-specific mitigations.
Dependency Blast Radius
Explore the affected products and dependency analysis for CVE-2026-38971
Is Your Infrastructure Affected by CVE-2026-38971?
EchelonGraph automatically scans your cloud infrastructure and maps CVE exposure using blast radius analysis.