CVE-2023-33097 in 8 Gen 1 Mobile Platform
Summary
by MITRE • 12/05/2023
Transient DOS in WLAN Firmware while processing a FTMR frame.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 12/05/2023
This vulnerability represents a transient denial of service condition within wireless local area network firmware that occurs during the processing of Fast Transition Management Request frames. The flaw manifests when wireless access points or stations encounter malformed or specially crafted FTMR frames during fast transition handoff procedures, causing the affected device to become temporarily unresponsive or crash entirely. The vulnerability stems from inadequate input validation mechanisms within the firmware's frame parsing routines, specifically failing to properly sanitize or reject malformed FTMR frames before attempting to process their contents. This issue affects the broader wlan security landscape as it can be exploited by remote attackers to disrupt wireless network connectivity without requiring authentication or physical access to the affected devices.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability resides in the IEEE 802.11k and 802.11r standard compliance within wireless firmware stacks, where fast transition mechanisms are implemented to enable seamless roaming between access points. During normal operation, FTMR frames contain information about neighboring networks and transition parameters that facilitate smooth handoff processes. However, when these frames contain malformed data structures or exceed expected parameter limits, the firmware's parsing logic fails to handle the exceptional conditions gracefully, leading to system instability or complete service disruption. The vulnerability is classified as a transient condition because the device typically recovers once the problematic frame processing completes, though this recovery period may be substantial and result in service degradation or complete network outages.
Operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple connectivity issues to encompass broader network availability concerns and potential business disruption. Attackers can leverage this weakness to target wireless infrastructure components such as access points, wireless controllers, or client devices, causing temporary service interruption that may affect enterprise networks, public Wi-Fi deployments, or industrial wireless systems. The transient nature of the denial of service means that network administrators may experience intermittent outages without clear correlation to specific events, complicating troubleshooting efforts and potentially allowing attackers to maintain persistent disruption through repeated exploitation attempts. This vulnerability particularly affects high-density wireless environments where fast transition mechanisms are actively utilized, as these deployments represent the primary attack surface for exploitation.
Mitigation strategies should focus on implementing robust input validation controls within wireless firmware implementations and deploying network monitoring solutions capable of detecting anomalous FTMR frame patterns. Organizations should prioritize firmware updates from vendors that address this specific vulnerability through improved frame parsing routines and enhanced error handling mechanisms. Network segmentation approaches can help limit the scope of potential exploitation by isolating critical wireless services and implementing additional filtering controls at network boundaries. The implementation of proper logging and alerting systems becomes crucial for early detection of exploitation attempts, allowing administrators to respond quickly before service disruption occurs. This vulnerability aligns with CWE-129, which addresses validation of input buffers, and may be categorized under ATT&CK technique T1566 for initial access through wireless network exploitation. Regular security assessments of wireless infrastructure components should include testing for similar transient denial of service conditions in other IEEE 802.11 standard implementations to ensure comprehensive protection against related vulnerabilities.