CVE-2026-23833
- Published: 2026-01-19T18:16:06.007
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.
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How to fix CVE-2026-23833
Description: 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` […]
Affected Versions:
❌ Vulnerable: 2025.9.0 - 2025.12.6
✅ Safe: ≥ 2025.12.7
Exploit Difficulty: HARD
⏱️ Time to exploit: > 4 hours
🛠️ Required skills: Advanced security expertise
💰 Public exploits: Rare or not public
How to Fix:
- Check if you're running the affected product
- Verify version (vulnerable: 2025.9.0 - 2025.12.6)
- Update to ≥ 2025.12.7 or later
- If patching is not immediately possible: restrict network exposure, apply least-privilege access
- Test the fix in a staging environment first
- Review logs for signs of exploitation
- Monitor for IOCs (Indicators of Compromise)
- Enable automatic security updates
- Set up vulnerability monitoring
- Review and harden security configurations
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Affected Versions
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