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High · 7.5 CVE-2026-45255 EUVD-2026-31263GHSA-qj4f-cpgw-vqx9

Remote code execution via installer Wi-Fi access point scans

Published May 21, 2026 · Updated May 22, 2026 · Assigned by freebsd

Description

When bsdinstall or bsdconfig are prompted to scan for nearby Wi-Fi networks, they build up a list of network names and use bsddialog(1) to prompt the user to select a network. This is implemented using a shell script, and the code which handled network names was not careful to prevent expansion by the shell. As a result, a suitably crafted network name can be used to execute commands via a subshell.

The problem can be exploited to execute code as root on the system running bsdinstall or bsdconfig. The attacker would need to create an access point with a specially crafted name and be within range of a Wi-Fi scan. Note that bsdinstall and bsdconfig are vulnerable as soon as the user prompts them to scan for nearby networks; they do not need to actually select the malicious network.

Affected products

VendorProductAffectedFixed
FreeBSD FreeBSD 15.0-RELEASE – < p9, 14.4-RELEASE – < p5, 14.3-RELEASE – < p14 p9

Advisories 1

References