SSID confusion in IEEE 802.11 standard

1) Input validation error

EUVDB-ID: #VU101950

Risk: Medium

CVSSv4.0: 1.1 [CVSS:4.0/AV:A/AC:L/AT:N/PR:N/UI:A/VC:L/VI:L/VA:N/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N/E:U/U:Green]

CVE-ID: CVE-2023-52424

CWE-ID: CWE-20 - Improper input validation

Exploit availability: No

Description

The vulnerability allows a remote attacker to perform spoofing attack.

The vulnerability exists due to SSID confusion error in the IEEE 802.11 standard. A remote attacker can trick the victim into connecting to unintended or untrusted network with Home WEP, Home WPA3 SAE-loop, Enterprise 802.1X/EAP, Mesh AMPE, or FILS. This occurs because the SSID is not always used to derive the pairwise master key or session keys, and because there is not a protected exchange of an SSID during a 4-way handshake.

Mitigation

Install updates from vendor's website.

Vulnerable software versions

IEEE 802.11: All versions

CPE2.3

• cpe:2.3:a:ieee:ieee_802_11:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*

External links

https://mentor.ieee.org/802.11/dcn/24/11-24-0938-03-000m-protect-ssid-in-4-way-handshake.docx
https://www.top10vpn.com/research/wifi-vulnerability-ssid/
https://www.top10vpn.com/assets/2024/05/Top10VPN-x-Vanhoef-SSID-Confusion.pdf

Q & A

Can this vulnerability be exploited remotely?

Yes. This vulnerability can be exploited by a remote non-authenticated attacker via the local network (LAN).

Is there known malware, which exploits this vulnerability?

No. We are not aware of malware exploiting this vulnerability.