dbcve.org
Linux KernelOperating system · Linux

CVE-2015-0570

HIGH · 7.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2016-05-09
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to after 4.20.15 or later.
See remediation →
81/100
Remediation priority · High
No privileges

Official description Straight from the sourceThe vendor's or NVD's own wording, published unedited. Authoritative, but often terse — it says what broke, rarely what to do.

NVD · unedited
Stack-based buffer overflow in the SET_WPS_IE IOCTL implementation in wlan_hdd_hostapd.c in the WLAN (aka Wi-Fi) driver for the Linux kernel 3.x and 4.x, as used in Qualcomm Innovation Center (QuIC) Android contributions for MSM devices and other products, allows attackers to gain privileges via a crafted application that uses a long WPS IE element.

Technical summary Written by usOur analysis, written from the advisory, the CVSS vector and the affected-version data. It adds context the advisory leaves out, and never invents facts that are not in the source.

dbcve analysis · moderate confidence

Stack-based buffer overflow in the SET_WPS_IE IOCTL handler within wlan_hdd_hostapd.c in the Qualcomm WLAN driver for Linux kernel 3.x/4.x. The vulnerability occurs when processing a WPS Information Element with excessive length, allowing a local attacker to overflow a stack buffer and gain elevated privileges.

MitigationUpdate the Linux kernel/WLAN driver to a version with proper bounds checking on WPS IE length in the SET_WPS_IE IOCTL. As an interim measure, restrict access to Wi-Fi functionality or disable Wi-Fi if possible until patching is feasible.

Verify against the referenced sources before acting — the references below are authoritative for this CVE, this summary is not.

Affected products & versions What the vendor confirmedThe version ranges the vendor confirmed as vulnerable. If your version sits inside a range here, treat yourself as exposed until you have upgraded.

NVD · CPE data
Linux KernelOperating system
Affected:>= 4.0.0, <= 4.20.15>= 3.0.0, <= 3.19.8

CVSS breakdown How the score is builtThe industry scoring standard. It rates how the flaw is reached, what it takes to exploit, and what an attacker gains — the score is derived from those, not the other way round.

From the vector
Attack vector
Local
Complexity
Low
Privileges
None
User interaction
Required
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

Am I affected? How to checkSteps we derive from the advisory and the affected-version data, so you can decide whether this CVE reaches your setup. They are a guide, not a scan — your own configuration is the authority.

dbcve checks

Work through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.

  1. Identify the running Linux kernel version
    Run 'uname -r' to get the kernel version, or check /proc/version
    Affected if The kernel version falls within 3.0.0-3.19.8 or 4.0.0-4.20.15 (the affected ranges)
  2. Determine if a Qualcomm WLAN driver is in use
    Check for loaded wireless modules with 'lsmod' and look for entries containing 'wlan' or 'qca' or 'ath' (common Qualcomm/Atheros driver names), or check 'lspci -k' for wireless network controllers
    Affected if A Qualcomm WLAN driver module is loaded and the kernel version is in the affected range
  3. Verify if WPS functionality is exposed
    Check for wireless interfaces with 'iwconfig' or 'ip link show' and look for Wi-Fi access point or monitor mode interfaces
    Affected if A Wi-Fi interface exists and the system uses the vulnerable driver and kernel combination
  4. Check for the hostapd driver module
    Look for the wlan_hdd_hostapd module via 'ls /sys/module/' or check if hostapd is running with 'ps aux | grep hostapd'
    Affected if The wlan_hdd_hostapd module is present in the kernel (the specific component named in the CVE)
  5. Confirm WPS IE processing is possible
    Attempt to inspect WPS configuration with 'iw dev <interface> info' or check wpa_supplicant configuration files for WPS settings in /etc/wpa_supplicant/
    Affected if WPS support is enabled on any wireless interface and the driver/kernel are in the affected versions

The system is affected if it runs a kernel between 3.0.0-3.19.8 or 4.0.0-4.20.15, uses a Qualcomm WLAN driver with the wlan_hdd_hostapd component, and has WPS-enabled Wi-Fi interfaces exposed.

Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.

Check your environment

Paste your version and any relevant configuration and it will be compared against the affected criteria above. Do not include secrets or credentials.

AI-assisted, checked against the advisory. Informational, not a guarantee.

Remediation Closing itWhat it takes to close this. Where a vendor fix exists we point at it; where none exists we say so plainly, and can build one. Effort estimates are scoped from the advisory, not from your codebase.

From vendor data
Upgrade available Upgrade to a release after 4.20.15
Interim mitigation

Update the Linux kernel/WLAN driver to a version with proper bounds checking on WPS IE length in the SET_WPS_IE IOCTL. As an interim measure, restrict access to Wi-Fi functionality or disable Wi-Fi if possible until patching is feasible.

Fix this in Linux Kernel Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation4.0 h
  • Implementation8.0 h
  • Testing8.0 h
  • Review / QA4.0 h
24.0 hours of engineering $4,160
Get the upgrade done

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $6,656.

Scan for this in your stack

Free · runs locally
dbcve dependency scanner

Check whether your project pulls in CVE-2015-0570 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.

Get it on GitHub Scan in the browser

References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.

Primary sources

Practitioner notes

Contributed

Peer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2015-0570 in production — separate from our analysis above.

No notes yet

Be the first to add a field note for this CVE — a mitigation you’ve verified, a version caveat, or a link to a working fix. Sign in above to contribute.

What this is

A place for practitioners to share what actually worked: a mitigation you’ve tested, a configuration change, a version- or environment-specific caveat, or a link to a verified patch. The most useful notes rise to the top as peers upvote them, so the signal stays high.

What belongs here
  • Verified mitigations, workarounds, and config changes
  • Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
  • No weaponised exploit code, or anything meant to cause harm
  • No spam, self-promotion, credentials, or personal data