CVE-2023-52160 Wi-Fi Vulnerability
Researchers in cybersecurity have detected two authentication bypass vulnerabilities in open-source Wi-Fi software used in Android, Linux, and ChromeOS devices. These flaws could deceive users into connecting to a malicious copy of a legitimate network or enable an attacker to join a trusted network without requiring a password.
The vulnerabilities, named CVE-2023-52160 and CVE-2023-52161, were uncovered during a security assessment of wpa_supplicant and Intel's iNet Wireless Daemon (IWD), respectively.
According to a recent study these flaws empower attackers to manipulate victims into connecting to fake replicas of trusted networks and intercept their traffic. They can also join secure networks without the need for a password.
CVE-2023-52161, specifically, allows an adversary to gain unauthorized entry to a protected Wi-Fi network, putting existing users and devices at risk of potential attacks such as malware infections, data theft, and business email compromise (BEC). This vulnerability affects IWD versions 2.12 and lower.
CVE-2023-52160 Deemed More Critical of the Two Vulnerabilities
On the other hand, CVE-2023-52160 impacts wpa_supplicant versions 2.10 and earlier. It is considered more critical because it is the default software for handling login requests to wireless networks on Android devices. However, it only affects Wi-Fi clients that are not properly configured to verify the certificate of the authentication server. CVE-2023-52161, on the other hand, affects any network using a Linux device as a wireless access point (WAP).
Exploiting CVE-2023-52160 relies on the condition that the attacker possesses the SSID of a Wi-Fi network to which the victim has previously connected. Additionally, the threat actor needs to be physically close to the victim.
Google has already provided patches for this vulnerability to Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs), who implement the patches for their users. As a security best practice, users are advised to regularly install the latest security updates on their devices.
