CVE-2007-5448 in Madwifi
Summary
by MITRE
Madwifi 0.9.3.2 and earlier allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (panic) via a beacon frame with a large length value in the extended supported rates (xrates) element, which triggers an assertion error, related to net80211/ieee80211_scan_ap.c and net80211/ieee80211_scan_sta.c.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 07/29/2021
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2007-5448 affects the Madwifi wireless networking driver version 0.9.3.2 and earlier, representing a critical denial of service flaw that can be exploited remotely by malicious actors. This issue specifically targets the IEEE 802.11 wireless protocol implementation within the Madwifi software stack, which serves as a popular open-source driver for wireless network interfaces. The vulnerability resides in the beacon frame processing logic where the system fails to properly validate the length field within the extended supported rates element, creating a condition that can be triggered through crafted wireless frames transmitted over the air.
The technical flaw manifests when a wireless access point or malicious client sends a beacon frame containing an extended supported rates element with an abnormally large length value. This malformed frame causes the Madwifi driver to encounter an assertion error during frame processing, specifically within the net80211/ieee80211_scan_ap.c and net80211/ieee80211_scan_sta.c modules. The assertion failure results in a system panic, effectively crashing the wireless driver and rendering the affected wireless interface unavailable. This behavior aligns with CWE-129, which addresses improper validation of length values in input processing, and represents a classic case of insufficient input sanitization in network protocol handling code.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple service disruption as it can be leveraged to create persistent denial of service conditions in wireless networks. An attacker positioned within range of the vulnerable wireless access point can exploit this flaw by transmitting a specially crafted beacon frame that triggers the panic condition. This attack vector is particularly concerning because it requires no authentication or privileged access to the wireless network, making it accessible to anyone within radio range. The vulnerability affects wireless devices running Madwifi versions prior to 0.9.3.3, including various Linux distributions and embedded systems that rely on this wireless driver stack. The panic condition causes complete wireless service interruption, potentially affecting network connectivity for all devices connected to the compromised access point.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2007-5448 involve immediate patching of the Madwifi driver to version 0.9.3.3 or later, which includes proper bounds checking and validation of the extended supported rates element length field. System administrators should also implement network monitoring to detect anomalous beacon frames and consider disabling wireless services temporarily if patching cannot be immediately deployed. From a cybersecurity perspective, this vulnerability demonstrates the importance of input validation in network protocol implementations and aligns with ATT&CK technique T1499.001, which covers network denial of service attacks. Organizations should also review their wireless network security posture and consider implementing additional monitoring controls to detect and prevent exploitation attempts. The vulnerability serves as a reminder of the critical nature of proper input validation in network-facing software components and the potential for remote code execution or system compromise through seemingly benign protocol parsing errors.