CVE-2019-16746: Buffer Overflow
A flaw in the Linux kernel's WiFi beacon validation code was discovered. The code does not check the length of the variable length elements in the beacon head potentially leading to a buffer overflow. System availability, as well as data confidentiality and integrity, can be impacted by this vulnerability.
Other sources
An issue was discovered in net/wireless/nl80211.c in the Linux kernel through 5.2.17. It does not check the length of variable elements in a beacon head, leading to a buffer overflow.
An issue was discovered in the Linux kernels wifi beacon validation code. The parser does not check the length of variable length elements in the beacon head. This could lead to a buffer overflow in code that relies on these values being within the specification.
Reference: https://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/linux/kernel/git/torvalds/linux.git/commit/?id=f88eb7c0d002a67ef31aeb7850b42ff69abc46dc
— Red Hat
Linux Kernel is vulnerable to a buffer overflow, caused by improper bounds checking by missing check of the length of variable elements in a beacon head by the net/wireless/nl80211.c. By persuading a victim to open a specially-crafted file, a remote attacker could overflow a buffer and execute arbitrary code on the system or cause the system to crash.
— IBM
Affected Software
Remediation
Patch Available
Event History
Parent advisories
This vulnerability appears in the following advisories.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the severity of CVE-2019-16746?
CVE-2019-16746 has a medium severity rating due to potential denial of service and data integrity issues.
How do I fix CVE-2019-16746?
To fix CVE-2019-16746, update your Linux kernel to a recommended version as specified in the vendor's patch.
Which Linux distributions are affected by CVE-2019-16746?
CVE-2019-16746 affects various Linux distributions, including Red Hat, Ubuntu, Debian, and Fedora, particularly those using vulnerable Linux kernel versions.
Is CVE-2019-16746 being exploited in the wild?
As of now, there have been no confirmed reports of CVE-2019-16746 being actively exploited in the wild.
What are the potential impacts of CVE-2019-16746?
The impacts of CVE-2019-16746 can include system crashes, denial of service, and potential security breaches affecting data confidentiality.