mac80211: Limit Injected VHT MCS/NSS in ieee80211_parse_tx_radiotap
Summary
GSD-2021-1001513: mac80211: limit injected vht mcs/nss in ieee80211_parse_tx_radiotap. Affects Kernel versions >= 646e76bb5daf4ca38438c69ffb72cccb605f3466, < e5bb852aa2ad963074f0ad73030dbc20a30853e3. No fix is published. How to fix ↓
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Background
The mac80211 package is a subsystem in the Linux Kernel that provides the implementation of the IEEE 802.11 wireless networking stack. It is responsible for managing wireless network interfaces and handling various aspects of wireless communication. The vulnerability in mac80211 affects the parsing of transmitted radiotap frames, specifically related to the VHT (Very High Throughput) MCS (Modulation and Coding Scheme) and NSS (Number of Spatial Streams) fields. This vulnerability allows for the injection of arbitrary values for these fields, potentially leading to security issues.
Vulnerability Detail
The vulnerability arises from a lack of proper validation and limitation of the injected VHT MCS/NSS values in the ieee80211_parse_tx_radiotap function of mac80211. An attacker could exploit this vulnerability by injecting malicious values for the VHT MCS/NSS fields in a radiotap frame, which would be processed by the affected function. This could result in various security issues, including denial-of-service attacks, information disclosure, or privilege escalation. The vulnerability was introduced in version v4.7 of the Linux Kernel and has been fixed in version v4.9.285.
How To Fix
No fixed version is published for this vulnerability.
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Workaround
As a workaround, users can apply patches or backports of the fix to their current Linux Kernel version. Alternatively, they can disable the processing of radiotap frames altogether if it is not necessary for their specific use case. However, it is strongly recommended to update to the fixed version of the Linux Kernel to ensure comprehensive mitigation of the vulnerability.
Conclusion
The mac80211 package in the Linux Kernel is vulnerable to an issue that allows for the injection of arbitrary values in the VHT MCS/NSS fields of radiotap frames. This vulnerability can have serious security implications, including denial-of-service attacks, information disclosure, or privilege escalation. It is crucial to update the Linux Kernel to version v4.9.285 or later to mitigate this vulnerability. For further support on vulnerability remediation, please contact DevNack.com.
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FAQ
mac80211 is a subsystem in the Linux Kernel that provides the implementation of the IEEE 802.11 wireless networking stack.
The vulnerability allows for the injection of arbitrary values in the VHT MCS/NSS fields of radiotap frames, potentially leading to security issues such as denial-of-service attacks, information disclosure, or privilege escalation.
To fix this vulnerability, it is recommended to update the Linux Kernel to version v4.9.285 or later, which includes the necessary fix.
Users can apply patches or backports of the fix to their current Linux Kernel version. Alternatively, they can disable the processing of radiotap frames if it is not necessary for their use case.
The vulnerability was introduced in version v4.7 of the Linux Kernel and fixed in version v4.9.285.
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