CPDLC over ATN-B1 Vulnerabilities: 5 CVEs, High 7.1
Summary
CISA reports 5 vulnerabilities in CPDLC ATN-B1 CPDLC. Weakness types: Missing Authentication for Critical Function, Allocation of Resources Without Limits or Throttling, Improper Check for Unusual or Exceptional Conditions. ATN-B1 CPDLC relies on legacy clear text unauthenticated radio frequency links. Research demonstrates that these characteristics allow unauthorized message injection, denial-of-service conditions, and forced session resets. Highest CVSS v3 score: 7.1 (High), exploitable over the network.
At a glance
- Vendor
- CPDLC
- Products
- ATN-B1 CPDLC
- CVEs
- CVE-2025-71409, CVE-2025-71410, CVE-2025-71411, CVE-2025-71412, CVE-2025-71413
- Highest CVSS v3
- 7.1 CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:C/C:N/I:H/A:L
- Highest CVSS v4
- –
- Known exploited (KEV)
- No CVE from this advisory is on the KEV list as of the last refresh
- Sectors (per CISA)
- Transportation Systems
- Deployed
- Worldwide
- Vendor HQ
- Global
Vulnerabilities
| CVE | Weakness | CVSS v3 | CVSS v4 | KEV | Description (from advisory) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CVE-2025-71409 | Missing Authentication for Critical Function | 7.1 | – | No | Lack of authentication for Very High Frequency Data Link messages allows rogue ground stations to inject CPDLC messages leading to unexpected or misleading clearances and potential pilot confusion. This type of attack can be carried out remotely over radio frequency. |
| CVE-2025-71410 | Allocation of Resources Without Limits or Throttling | 5.3 | – | No | Unnumbered Disconnect (U DISC) and malformed Aviation Very High Frequency Link Control frames can terminate sessions and lead to a loss of CPDLC functions requiring a reversion to voice communication and increased controller workload. This type of attack can be carried out remotely over radio frequency. |
| CVE-2025-71411 | Allocation of Resources Without Limits or Throttling | 5.3 | – | No | Broadcast control frames can disconnect multiple aircraft simultaneously leading to delayed clearances and air traffic controller overload. This type of attack can be carried out remotely over radio frequency. |
| CVE-2025-71412 | Improper Check for Unusual or Exceptional Conditions | 7.1 | – | No | Injection of false emergency or status messages over CPDLC may lead to misallocation of resources, operational confusion, and improper response actions by flight crews, traffic controllers, and ground operations. This type of attack can be carried out remotely over radio frequency. |
| CVE-2025-71413 | Improper Check for Unusual or Exceptional Conditions | 5.3 | – | No | Malformed or out-of-sequence frames at the Aviation Very High Frequency Link Control X.25 layers cause repeated resets which may result in increased workload and reduced situational awareness. This type of attack can be carried out remotely over radio frequency. |
Affected products (1)
- Advisory Circular 90-117 Data Link Communications ATN-B1 CPDLC: vers:all/*
Vendor fixes and mitigations (from advisory)
- None Available: Currently, there is no mitigation available for CVE-2025-71409, CVE-2025-71410, CVE-2025-71411, CVE-2025-71412, CVE-2025-71413.
- Mitigation: These vulnerabilities in the CPDLC protocol stack are exploitable in a lab environment. However, they require very specific conditions to be met and are unlikely to be exploited outside of a lab setting.
- Mitigation: Organizations observing suspected malicious activity should follow established internal procedures and report findings to CISA for tracking and correlation against other incidents.
- Mitigation: No known public exploitation specifically targeting these vulnerabilities has been reported to CISA at this time. These vulnerabilities have a high attack complexity.
Also apply CISA's standard ICS practices: minimize network exposure, keep control networks behind firewalls and isolated from business networks, and use up-to-date secure remote access.
Sources
This page is generated automatically from the CISA advisory text. It is not a substitute for the vendor's guidance; verify affected versions and fixes at the source before making changes to control systems.