CVE-2025-71127
Description
A beacon protection bypass vulnerability was found in the Linux kernel's mac80211 WiFi stack. According to IEEE 802.11-2020, beacon frames must be sent to the broadcast address, but mac80211 incorrectly accepts unicast beacon frames with the Protected Frame bit set to 1. This allows attackers to send targeted unicast beacons that bypass beacon protection (BIGTK verification), potentially forcing associated stations to perform malicious actions like channel switching via CSA.
Statement
This vulnerability affects WiFi clients using mac80211-based drivers. An attacker within wireless range can send crafted unicast beacon frames to target specific stations, bypassing beacon protection mechanisms. This could be used to force channel switches or other beacon-triggered behaviors. The attack requires proximity to the target WiFi network.
Common Vulnerability Scoring System (CVSS) Score Details
Info alert:Important note
CVSS scores for open source components depend on vendor-specific factors (e.g. version or build chain). Therefore, Red Hat's score and impact rating can be different from NVD and other vendors. Red Hat remains the authoritative CVE Naming Authority (CNA) source for its products and services (see Red Hat classifications).
The following CVSS metrics and score provided are preliminary and subject to review.
CVSS v3 Score Breakdown
| Red Hat | NVD | cve.org | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Base Score | 6.3 | 5.5 | 7.1 |
| Attack Vector | Adjacent Network | Local | Adjacent Network |
| Attack Complexity | Low | Low | Low |
| Privileges Required | Low | Low | None |
| User Interaction | None | None | None |
| Scope | Unchanged | Unchanged | Unchanged |
| Confidentiality | None | None | None |
| Integrity Impact | Low | None | Low |
| Availability Impact | High | High | High |
Vector
Red Hat: CVSS:3.1/AV:A/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:L/A:H
NVD: CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H
cve.org: CVSS:3.1/AV:A/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:L/A:H
Understanding the Weakness (CWE)
Access Control
Technical Impact: Bypass Protection Mechanism
Frequently Asked Questions
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