CVE-2023-28564 in AQT1000
Summary
by MITRE • 09/05/2023
Memory corruption in WLAN HAL while passing command parameters through WMI interfaces.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 09/05/2023
This vulnerability represents a critical memory corruption issue within the wireless local area network hardware abstraction layer that manifests when command parameters are transmitted through wireless management interface protocols. The flaw occurs at the intersection of hardware driver communication and wireless protocol handling, where improper parameter validation leads to unpredictable memory state modifications. Such vulnerabilities typically arise from insufficient bounds checking or inadequate input sanitization when processing wireless management commands that traverse the WMI (Wireless Management Interface) framework. The technical implementation involves the WLAN HAL receiving structured command data through WMI channels and subsequently processing this information without adequate memory boundary verification, creating opportunities for buffer overflows or arbitrary memory writes. This class of vulnerability directly relates to common weakness enumerations such as CWE-121 which addresses stack-based buffer overflow conditions, and CWE-787 which covers out-of-bounds write vulnerabilities in heap memory operations.
The operational impact of this memory corruption vulnerability extends beyond simple application crashes to potentially enable arbitrary code execution within the wireless driver context. Attackers can exploit this weakness by crafting malicious WMI command parameters that trigger the memory corruption during normal wireless management operations, such as association requests, authentication exchanges, or beacon processing. The exploitation typically requires local network access and may be amplified through wireless management frame injection techniques, though some implementations could potentially support remote exploitation depending on the specific wireless protocol stack and driver architecture. Successful exploitation can result in complete system compromise including privilege escalation to kernel-level execution contexts, as wireless drivers often operate with elevated privileges to manage hardware communication directly.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability encompass multiple layers of defense including immediate firmware and driver updates from manufacturers to address the underlying memory handling flaws, implementation of network segmentation to limit wireless management frame access, and deployment of intrusion detection systems monitoring for anomalous WMI command sequences. Security researchers should implement input validation controls within WMI interfaces to enforce strict parameter bounds checking and employ memory protection mechanisms such as stack canaries or address space layout randomization to complicate exploitation attempts. Organizations should also consider implementing network access control policies that restrict wireless management frame processing to trusted network segments while maintaining regular security assessments of wireless infrastructure components. This vulnerability aligns with attack techniques documented in the attack pattern catalog under T1059 which covers command and scripting interpreters, and T1068 which addresses exploit for privilege escalation in system services. The remediation approach should follow industry best practices established in frameworks such as NIST SP 800-144 for wireless security guidelines and ISO/IEC 27031 for information security management in network infrastructure systems.