CVE-2023-53570
wifi: nl80211: fix integer overflow in nl80211_parse_mbssid_elems()
Description
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: wifi: nl80211: fix integer overflow in nl80211_parse_mbssid_elems() nl80211_parse_mbssid_elems() uses a u8 variable num_elems to count the number of MBSSID elements in the nested netlink attribute attrs, which can lead to an integer overflow if a user of the nl80211 interface specifies 256 or more elements in the corresponding attribute in userspace. The integer overflow can lead to a heap buffer overflow as num_elems determines the size of the trailing array in elems, and this array is thereafter written to for each element in attrs. Note that this vulnerability only affects devices with the wiphy->mbssid_max_interfaces member set for the wireless physical device struct in the device driver, and can only be triggered by a process with CAP_NET_ADMIN capabilities. Fix this by checking for a maximum of 255 elements in attrs.
INFO
Published Date :
Oct. 4, 2025, 4:15 p.m.
Last Modified :
Oct. 6, 2025, 2:56 p.m.
Remotely Exploit :
No
Source :
416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67
Solution
- Validate the number of MBSSID elements specified.
- Ensure the count does not exceed 255.
- Apply the kernel patch to fix overflow vulnerability.
References to Advisories, Solutions, and Tools
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information, practical solutions, and valuable tools related to
CVE-2023-53570.
CWE - Common Weakness Enumeration
While CVE identifies
specific instances of vulnerabilities, CWE categorizes the common flaws or
weaknesses that can lead to vulnerabilities. CVE-2023-53570 is
associated with the following CWEs:
Common Attack Pattern Enumeration and Classification (CAPEC)
Common Attack Pattern Enumeration and Classification
(CAPEC)
stores attack patterns, which are descriptions of the common attributes and
approaches employed by adversaries to exploit the CVE-2023-53570
weaknesses.
We scan GitHub repositories to detect new proof-of-concept exploits. Following list is a collection of public exploits and proof-of-concepts, which have been published on GitHub (sorted by the most recently updated).
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Vulnerability history details can be useful for understanding the evolution of a vulnerability, and for identifying the most recent changes that may impact the vulnerability's severity, exploitability, or other characteristics.
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New CVE Received by 416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67
Oct. 04, 2025
Action Type Old Value New Value Added Description In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: wifi: nl80211: fix integer overflow in nl80211_parse_mbssid_elems() nl80211_parse_mbssid_elems() uses a u8 variable num_elems to count the number of MBSSID elements in the nested netlink attribute attrs, which can lead to an integer overflow if a user of the nl80211 interface specifies 256 or more elements in the corresponding attribute in userspace. The integer overflow can lead to a heap buffer overflow as num_elems determines the size of the trailing array in elems, and this array is thereafter written to for each element in attrs. Note that this vulnerability only affects devices with the wiphy->mbssid_max_interfaces member set for the wireless physical device struct in the device driver, and can only be triggered by a process with CAP_NET_ADMIN capabilities. Fix this by checking for a maximum of 255 elements in attrs. Added Reference https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/6311071a056272e1e761de8d0305e87cc566f734 Added Reference https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/7d09f9f255a5f78578deba5454923072bb53b16c Added Reference https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/e642eb67b8c10dcce758d549cc81564116e0fa49