{"dataType":"CVE_RECORD","dataVersion":"5.2","cveMetadata":{"cveId":"CVE-2023-53540","assignerOrgId":"416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67","state":"PUBLISHED","assignerShortName":"Linux","dateReserved":"2025-10-04T15:14:15.919Z","datePublished":"2025-10-04T15:16:50.079Z","dateUpdated":"2026-08-05T09:14:43.616Z"},"containers":{"cna":{"providerMetadata":{"orgId":"416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67","shortName":"Linux","dateUpdated":"2026-08-05T09:14:43.616Z"},"descriptions":[{"lang":"en","value":"In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:\n\nwifi: cfg80211: reject auth/assoc to AP with our address\n\nIf the AP uses our own address as its MLD address or BSSID, then\nclearly something's wrong. Reject such connections so we don't\ntry and fail later."}],"metrics":[{"cvssV3_1":{"version":"3.1","vectorString":"CVSS:3.1/AV:A/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:L/A:H","baseScore":7.1,"baseSeverity":"HIGH"},"scenarios":[{"lang":"en","value":"AV:A - The BSS parameters that trigger the bug originate from attacker-transmitted beacon/probe-response frames, which cfg80211 accepts into the scan cache without rejecting a BSSID equal to a local interface address; an attacker in WiFi range can therefore induce the victim's SME to auth/assoc to a self-addressed BSS. Per WiFi frame-injection guidance this is Adjacent.\nAC:L - The attacker fully controls the beacon's BSSID/MLD address and SSID, and the victim STA's MAC address is passively observable from its probe requests; the victim's connection attempt is routine auto-join behavior that the attacker can force by deauthing it from its real AP.\nPR:N - A rogue AP needs no credentials or prior association with the victim, and the failure occurs in the pre-authentication auth/assoc path before any key exchange.\nUI:N - Automatic reconnection to a known/matching SSID by wpa_supplicant or the kernel SME requires no human action, and the attacker can trigger it on demand with a deauth.\nS:U - The WARN_ON and the corrupted MLME state are entirely within the kernel's own security authority; no VM, IOMMU, or sandbox boundary is crossed.\nC:N - No out-of-bounds read, uninitialized memory disclosure, or other read primitive is created; the attacker gains no access to kernel or user data.\nI:L - The attacker's rogue BSS causes mac80211 to tear down the legitimate association and leaves inconsistent state behind (`vif.cfg.ap_addr` set to the interface's own address, and in the MLO case a link_sta bearing our own address inserted into `local->link_sta_hash`), a bounded modification of kernel connection state rather than arbitrary write.\nA:H - The path reaches `WARN_ON()` in `sta_info_insert_check()`, which is a kernel panic on the many deployments running `panic_on_warn=1`, and can be triggered repeatedly to persistently deny WiFi connectivity."}]}],"affected":[{"product":"Linux","vendor":"Linux","defaultStatus":"unaffected","repo":"https://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/linux/kernel/git/stable/linux.git","programFiles":["net/wireless/mlme.c"],"versions":[{"version":"19957bb399e2722719c0e20c9ae91cf8b6aaff04","lessThan":"676a423410131d111a264d29aecbe6aadd57fb22","status":"affected","versionType":"git"},{"version":"19957bb399e2722719c0e20c9ae91cf8b6aaff04","lessThan":"07added2c6cd63de047bc786b39436322abb67c0","status":"affected","versionType":"git"},{"version":"19957bb399e2722719c0e20c9ae91cf8b6aaff04","lessThan":"5d4e04bf3a0f098bd9033de3a5291810fa14c7a6","status":"affected","versionType":"git"}]},{"product":"Linux","vendor":"Linux","defaultStatus":"affected","repo":"https://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/linux/kernel/git/stable/linux.git","programFiles":["net/wireless/mlme.c"],"versions":[{"version":"2.6.32","status":"affected"},{"version":"0","lessThan":"2.6.32","status":"unaffected","versionType":"semver"},{"version":"6.1.55","lessThanOrEqual":"6.1.*","status":"unaffected","versionType":"semver"},{"version":"6.5.5","lessThanOrEqual":"6.5.*","status":"unaffected","versionType":"semver"},{"version":"6.6","lessThanOrEqual":"*","status":"unaffected","versionType":"original_commit_for_fix"}]}],"cpeApplicability":[{"nodes":[{"operator":"OR","negate":false,"cpeMatch":[{"vulnerable":true,"criteria":"cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*","versionStartIncluding":"2.6.32","versionEndExcluding":"6.1.55"},{"vulnerable":true,"criteria":"cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*","versionStartIncluding":"2.6.32","versionEndExcluding":"6.5.5"},{"vulnerable":true,"criteria":"cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*","versionStartIncluding":"2.6.32","versionEndExcluding":"6.6"}]}]}],"references":[{"url":"https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/676a423410131d111a264d29aecbe6aadd57fb22"},{"url":"https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/07added2c6cd63de047bc786b39436322abb67c0"},{"url":"https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/5d4e04bf3a0f098bd9033de3a5291810fa14c7a6"}],"title":"wifi: cfg80211: reject auth/assoc to AP with our address","x_generator":{"engine":"bippy-1.2.0"}}}}