CVE-2023-28566 in 4 Gen 1 Mobile Platform
Summary
by MITRE • 11/07/2023
Information disclosure in WLAN HAL while handling the WMI state info command.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 08/07/2025
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2023-28566 represents a critical information disclosure flaw within the Wireless Local Area Network Hardware Abstraction Layer of certain wireless networking implementations. This issue specifically manifests during the processing of WMI state information commands, where the system fails to properly sanitize or validate incoming data structures before exposing sensitive operational details to unauthorized parties. The flaw exists in the communication protocol handling between the wireless hardware driver and the underlying operating system components, creating a potential vector for attackers to extract confidential information about the wireless network state and configuration parameters.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from inadequate input validation mechanisms within the WLAN HAL subsystem. When the system receives WMI state info commands, the processing routine does not sufficiently verify the integrity or expected format of the incoming data payload. This oversight allows malicious actors to craft specially formatted commands that can trigger the exposure of internal state variables, configuration parameters, and potentially sensitive network identifiers. The vulnerability aligns with CWE-20, which describes improper input validation, and represents a classic example of how insufficient data sanitization can lead to information leakage in networked systems. The flaw particularly affects wireless drivers and firmware implementations that handle WMI (Wireless Management Interface) commands in a manner that does not adequately protect internal state information from external access.
From an operational perspective, this information disclosure vulnerability poses significant risks to wireless network security and integrity. An attacker who successfully exploits this flaw could potentially gain insights into the wireless network's operational parameters, including channel configurations, authentication states, encryption keys, and other sensitive configuration details. The exposure of such information could enable more sophisticated attacks such as deauthentication attacks, channel hopping manipulations, or targeted exploitation of other wireless protocol vulnerabilities. The impact extends beyond simple information leakage as this data could be leveraged to perform advanced persistent threat activities or to craft more effective man-in-the-middle attacks against wireless communications. This vulnerability particularly affects enterprise wireless networks where the exposure of internal state information could compromise the security of multiple connected devices and network segments.
The mitigation strategies for CVE-2023-28566 should focus on implementing robust input validation and data sanitization mechanisms within the WLAN HAL processing routines. System administrators should prioritize applying vendor-specific patches and firmware updates that address the improper handling of WMI state information commands. The remediation process should include strengthening the validation logic to ensure that all incoming WMI commands are properly authenticated and that state information is only exposed through controlled interfaces. Additionally, network segmentation and access controls should be implemented to limit the potential impact of information disclosure. Security monitoring should be enhanced to detect anomalous WMI command sequences that might indicate exploitation attempts. Organizations should also consider implementing network traffic analysis tools that can identify unusual patterns in wireless management frame communications, as specified in the MITRE ATT&CK framework for wireless network attacks. The vulnerability demonstrates the importance of maintaining secure coding practices in wireless driver development and highlights the need for comprehensive security testing of hardware abstraction layers that interface with critical network protocols.