CVE-2026-44317 is a medium-severity (CVSS 6.5) vulnerability in github.com/free5gc/pcf. O3 Security confirms whether CVE-2026-44317 is actually reachable in your code before you act, and blocks exploitation at runtime until you patch.
free5GC: PCF npcf-policyauthorization POST /app-sessions panics on suppFeat=1 with missing AfRoutReq via nil pointer dereference
Real-World Exposure
github.com/free5gc/pcfReal-time download stats are indexed for npm and PyPI packages. This vulnerability affects Go packages — download data is not available via public APIs for these ecosystems.
Description
free5GC is an open-source implementation of the 5G core network. Prior to 4.2.2, free5GC's PCF POST /npcf-policyauthorization/v1/app-sessions handler panics on a single authenticated request whose ascReqData.suppFeat == "1" (enabling traffic-routing feature negotiation) and whose medComponents entries supply an afAppId but NO AfRoutReq. The create path then calls provisioningOfTrafficRoutingInfo(smPolicy, appID, routeReq, ...) with routeReq == nil and dereferences routeReq.RouteToLocs (and other fields) without a nil check, causing runtime error: invalid memory address or nil pointer dereference. Gin recovery converts the panic into HTTP 500. This vulnerability is fixed in 4.2.2.
Affected Packages
| Ecosystem | Package | Vulnerable range | Fix |
|---|---|---|---|
| 🐹Go | github.com/free5gc/pcf | all versions | 1.4.3 |
Detection & mitigation playbook
Open-source dependencyDetect
Scan your dependency tree (package-lock.json, pnpm-lock.yaml, requirements.txt, go.sum, etc.) for github.com/free5gc/pcf. O3's reachability analysis confirms whether the vulnerable code path is actually invoked in your application, so you act on real exposure instead of every transitive match.
Fix
Update github.com/free5gc/pcf to 1.4.3 or later, then make sure no transitive (indirect) dependency still pins the vulnerable range — O3 confirms CVE-2026-44317 is resolved across your whole dependency graph.
Workarounds
If you can't upgrade right away: gate or disable the affected feature, validate untrusted input at the boundary, and avoid passing attacker-controlled data into the vulnerable path. O3's runtime protection blocks exploitation in production as an interim safeguard until the upgrade lands.
How O3 protects you
O3 pinpoints whether CVE-2026-44317 is reachable in your code and exactly where to fix it, then blocks exploitation in production at runtime until the patched version is deployed.
Tailored to CVE-2026-44317. Runtime protection reduces exposure until a permanent patch is applied and verified — it complements patching, it doesn't replace it.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is CVE-2026-44317 in your dependencies?
O3 detects CVE-2026-44317 across Go dependencies and uses function-level reachability to confirm whether the vulnerable code path is actually reachable — not just present. No false positives.