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June 1, 2022
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How To Fix CVE-2022-23088- A Heap-Based Buffer Overflow Vulnerability In FreeBSD
Security researchers disclosed a heap-based buffer overflow vulnerability in FreeBSD. The flaw tracked as CVE-2022-23088 is a high severity flaw with a CVSS score of 8.3. It is a heap-based buffer overflow vulnerability in the Network Subsystem of FreeBSD. The flaw is very important to know as successful exploitation would allow network-adjacent attackers to execute arbitrary code on affected installations of FreeBSD without authentication. We urge all the FreeBSD admins to read this post to learn about how to fix CVE-2022-23088, a heap-based buffer overflow vulnerability in FreeBSD that could lead to remote code execution attacks.
Summary Of CVE-2022-23088:
This is a heap-based buffer overflow vulnerability in FreeBSD. The flaw exists in FreeBSD’s net80211 kernel subsystem that provides infrastructure and drivers for IEEE 802.11 wireless (Wi-Fi) communications in FreeBSD Kernel. It is due to the failure of the 802.11 beacon handling routine validation process. “The 802.11 beacon handling routine failed to validate the length of an IEEE 802.11s Mesh ID before copying it to a heap-allocated buffer.”
This gap allowed network-adjacent attackers to execute arbitrary code on affected installations of FreeBSD Kernel. In other words, attackers can abuse this flaw to perform remote code execution attacks in the context of the kernel. security advisory says, “While a FreeBSD Wi-Fi client is in scanning mode (i.e., not associated with a SSID) a malicious beacon frame may overwrite kernel memory, leading to remote code execution.”
| Associated CVE ID | CVE-2022-23088 |
| Description | A Heap-based Buffer Overflow Vulnerability in FreeBSD |
| Associated ZDI ID | – |
| CVSS Score | 8.3 High |
| Vector | CVSS:3.1AV:A/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H |
| Impact Score | – |
| Exploitability Score | – |
| Attack Vector (AV) | Adjacent Network |
| Attack Complexity (AC) | High |
| Privilege Required (PR) | None |
| User Interaction (UI) | None |
| Scope | Changed |
| Confidentiality (C) | High |
| Integrity (I) | High |
| availability (a) | High |
Products Affected By CVE-2022-23088
The flaw affects all supported versions of FreeBSD. So it is important to fix the CVE-2022-23088 vulnerability if you have FreeBSD machines in your infrastructure.
How To Fix CVE-2022-23088- A Heap-Based Buffer Overflow Vulnerability In FreeBSD?
The best way to fix the flaw is to upgrade your FreeBSD to a supported FreeBSD stable or release / security branch (releng) dated after the correction date, and reboot. The vendor has released the updates to fix the flaw.
If you look for a workaround solution until installing the patch, there is no workaround. However, toggling off the WiFi of the machine and connecting it through a wired connection may save you from the attacks since the flaw is in the WiFi module of the kernel.
How To Fix CVE-2022-23088
It is simple to fix the flaw. All you need to upgrade to fix it. Let’s see how to upgrade FreeBSD system in a few simple steps.
Step 1. Check the FreeBSD version information
Let’s take a note of the current version information before you proceed. Run this command to check the version information.
# freebsd-version
Step 2. Fetch all the updates
Fetching all the updates is the first process to begin the upgradation process. Issue this command to fetch all the application and operating system updates.
# freebsd-update fetch
Step 3. Install the updates
After fetching all the updates, it’s the time to install them. Let’s install the updates using this command.
# freebsd-update install
# pkg upgrade
Step 4. Reboot the machine
After the completion of the upgrade process. Reboot the machine using this command.
# shutdown -r now
Step 5. Upgrade to the new release
This process is optional. We recommend to go for the newest supported release. This may fix several security issues. Run this command to upgrade your FreeBSD to the desired release.
# freebsd-update -r 13.1-RELEASE upgrade
# /usr/sbin/freebsd-update install
# freebsd-update install
# pkg upgrade
# reboot
OR
# shutdown -r now
Step 6. Check the version again to ensure the completion of upgradation process
Run this command to check the version information after upgrade.
# freebsd-version
We hope this post would help you know how to fix CVE-2022-23088, a heap-based buffer overflow vulnerability in FreeBSD that could lead to remote code execution attacks. Please share this post and help to secure the digital world. Visit our social media page on Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, Telegram, Tumblr, & Medium and subscribe to receive updates like this.
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Arun KL
Arun KL is a cybersecurity professional with 15+ years of experience in IT infrastructure, cloud security, vulnerability management, Penetration Testing, security operations, and incident response. He is adept at designing and implementing robust security solutions to safeguard systems and data. Arun holds multiple industry certifications including CCNA, CCNA Security, RHCE, CEH, and AWS Security.
