protobuf-c in ESP-IDF firmware: identifiers and CRA notes

What it is

protobuf-c

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Notes on this component

Protocol Buffers implementation in C, used by ESP-IDF's console component (argtable3 output) among others. ESP-IDF's .gitmodules already annotates this submodule with sbom-cpe (checked 2026-10-07: cpe:2.3:a:protobuf-c_project:protobuf-c, matching this row exactly), so esp-idf-sbom normally carries the identifier itself; this row is the fallback for a build where that annotation is missing or unread.

Where it hides in a firmware SBOM

ESP-IDF records it from the component's own sbom.yml file, so what the SBOM says depends on what that file declares.

The identifiers we assign

PURLpackage URL: a standard way to name a software package

pkg:github/protobuf-c/protobuf-c@{version}

CPEthe product name vulnerability databases use to say what a flaw affects

cpe:2.3:a:protobuf-c_project:protobuf-c:{version}:*:*:*:*:*:*:*

{version} is filled in from your build.

The SBOM check adds these identifiers to a component your build listed without them.

Honest gaps

Vendor: protobuf-c_project.

Where this row comes from

https://github.com/espressif/esp-idf/blob/master/.gitmodules
Checked on 7 October 2026.

Known vulnerabilities

Not checked yet

Vulnerability data changes daily. Check the version you ship in the SBOM check.

CRA notes

• List this component in your SBOM. Annex I, Part II (1): Identify and document components and vulnerabilities, including an SBOMKnow what is in your product. Identify and document its components and their vulnerabilities, including by producing a software bill of materials (SBOM) in a common machine-readable format that covers at least the top-level dependencies.
• Ship the version with no known exploitable vulnerabilities at release. Annex I, Part I (2(a)): Made available without known exploitable vulnerabilitiesWhen you place a release on the market, it must not ship with known vulnerabilities that can be exploited in your product. "Exploitable" means an attacker could effectively use it under practical operating conditions (Article 3(41)), not only in theory or in a lab. The Commission's draft guidance (C(2026) 5252, points 231 to 237; a draft, not binding) gives three ways a vulnerability is "known". One: it is listed in a relevant public vulnerability database, such as the European vulnerability database (EUVD) or another prominent one. Two: you learned of it from information that is not public, for example a security researcher's coordinated disclosure or your own testing and analysis; a vulnerability you know about and have not disclosed still counts. Three: it has been publicly and prominently reported in reliable media, whether specialist security publications or general news. A report is not yet proof: it does not by itself mean the vulnerability can be exploited in practice or applies to your product, so investigate promptly and confirm whether it does. A limited time may pass between the first report and that confirmation. If a vulnerability becomes known shortly before release, you decide from your cybersecurity risk assessment whether the release can go out or the vulnerability must be fixed first. Weigh its severity, exploitability and potential impact, and the risks to the product once in use; you may also weigh the risks of delaying the release, for example because it fixes other exploitable vulnerabilities. After release, the Part II vulnerability handling requirements still apply. Check your components against vulnerability databases before each release, and fix or justify what you find.

Source: Annex I of Regulation (EU) 2024/2847 (Cyber Resilience Act), legal state 2026.10.13-1.

Related ESP-IDF components

No related components yet.

Guides that mention protobuf-c

• The CRA for ESP-IDF teams: real CPEs out of the box, and the parts they do not cover

Next step

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