CVE-2026-25275 in Snapdragon Auto
Summary
by MITRE • 09/17/2026
Transient DOS when processing authentication frames with invalid FILS information element header lengths.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 09/17/2026
The vulnerability described involves a transient Denial of Service condition triggered during the processing of IEEE 802.11ai Fast Initial Link Setup (FILS) authentication frames that contain malformed Information Element headers. Specifically, the flaw arises when the length field within the FILS information element header does not correspond to valid or expected data boundaries. In standard network protocol implementations, parsers must rigorously validate input dimensions before attempting to process payload contents. When a device receives an authentication frame with an invalid or excessively large length value in the FILS Information Element, it may attempt to allocate memory or iterate through buffers based on this untrusted input without sufficient bounds checking. This mismatch between declared size and actual available data can lead to buffer over-reads, integer overflow conditions during arithmetic calculations related to packet parsing, or infinite loops if the parser attempts to process non-existent data structures. The result is a temporary suspension of service for the affected wireless interface or network controller as it struggles with the malformed input, potentially crashing the processing thread or consuming excessive CPU resources until the connection attempt times out or is forcibly terminated by higher-level stack mechanisms.
From a technical perspective, this issue aligns closely with CWE-20 Improper Input Validation and CWE-134 Use of Externally-Controlled Format String if format strings are involved in logging during error handling, though primarily it represents a resource exhaustion vector typical of CWE-787 Out-of-bounds Read or CWE-190 Integer Overflow or Wraparound depending on the specific implementation details. The vulnerability is particularly critical because FILS frames are part of the initial authentication handshake used to establish secure connections in modern Wi-Fi networks, including WPA3 implementations. Attackers operating within radio range can craft and transmit these maliciously formatted frames repeatedly. Since the processing occurs at a low level in the network stack or firmware responsible for handling management frames, it may bypass higher-level security controls that monitor application-layer traffic. The transient nature of the Denial of Service implies that while service is disrupted during the processing event, recovery might occur automatically once the malformed packet is discarded and system resources are released, but repeated attacks can lead to sustained unavailability or instability in high-throughput environments.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple connectivity loss for individual clients. In enterprise deployments utilizing wireless LAN controllers that aggregate traffic from multiple access points, a successful exploitation could degrade performance across the entire network segment if the controller processes these frames centrally. This creates an opportunity for local denial-of-service attacks where an adversary does not need to compromise credentials or exploit complex logic flaws but simply exploits basic parsing errors in standard-compliant protocol implementations. The ease of crafting such malformed packets makes this a low-effort, high-impact attack vector against Wi-Fi infrastructure that has not been patched with specific mitigations for FILS frame validation.
Mitigation strategies primarily involve applying vendor-provided firmware or software updates that address the input validation logic within the network stack. These patches typically enforce strict length checks before allocating memory or initiating parsing routines, ensuring that the declared size of the Information Element does not exceed buffer limits or available data in the packet payload. Additionally, implementing rate limiting on authentication frame processing can help mitigate the impact by throttling the frequency at which such frames are processed, thereby reducing the effectiveness of repeated attack attempts. Network administrators should also consider segmenting wireless traffic and monitoring for anomalous spikes in management frame traffic to detect potential exploitation activities early. Adhering to strict input validation principles as outlined in CWE-20 is essential for preventing similar vulnerabilities in other protocol handlers within network infrastructure devices.