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FreeBSDOperating system

CVE-2026-45255

HIGH · 7.5 CVSS v3.1 Published 2026-05-21
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
80/100
Remediation priority · High
No privileges Zero-click

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
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.

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 · high confidence

A command injection vulnerability exists in FreeBSD's bsdinstall and bsdconfig utilities where Wi-Fi network names (SSIDs) scanned from nearby access points are passed unsanitized to bsddialog(1) within a shell script. An attacker within Wi-Fi range can set up a maliciously crafted AP name containing shell metacharacters that will be expanded and executed as root when the victim triggers a network scan.

MitigationAvoid using the Wi-Fi scanning feature in bsdinstall or bsdconfig in untrusted environments until an official patch is available. If scanning is required, ensure no unknown or untrusted access points are within range.

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
FreeBSDOperating system
Affected:= 14.3= 14.4= 15.0

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
Adjacent
Complexity
High
Privileges
None
User interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

CVSS:3.1/AV:A/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/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. Check FreeBSD version
    Run `uname -r` and compare the output against the affected versions: 14.3, 14.4, and 15.0
    Affected if The version is exactly 14.3, 14.4, or 15.0
  2. Verify bsdinstall utility presence
    Check if the bsdinstall utility exists on the system, typically found in /usr/sbin/bsdinstall or via `which bsdinstall`
    Affected if bsdinstall is installed and the system runs FreeBSD 14.3, 14.4, or 15.0
  3. Verify bsdconfig utility presence
    Check if the bsdconfig utility exists on the system, typically found in /usr/sbin/bsdconfig or via `which bsdconfig`
    Affected if bsdconfig is installed and the system runs FreeBSD 14.3, 14.4, or 15.0
  4. Confirm Wi-Fi scanning capability
    Determine if the system has wireless capabilities and if bsdinstall or bsdconfig would be used for Wi-Fi network configuration (for example, during system installation or configuration)
    Affected if Wireless interfaces exist and bsdinstall or bsdconfig Wi-Fi scanning would be invoked on an affected FreeBSD version

A system is affected if it runs FreeBSD 14.3, 14.4, or 15.0 and has bsdinstall or bsdconfig installed with wireless capabilities that could trigger Wi-Fi scanning.

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
Mitigation available No clean upgrade yet — mitigate in the meantime
Mitigation

Avoid using the Wi-Fi scanning feature in bsdinstall or bsdconfig in untrusted environments until an official patch is available. If scanning is required, ensure no unknown or untrusted access points are within range.

Fix this in FreeBSD Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation4.0 h
  • Implementation8.0 h
  • Testing6.0 h
  • Review / QA4.0 h
22.0 hours of engineering $3,860
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Scan for this in your stack

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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-2026-45255 in production — separate from our analysis above.

No notes yet

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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
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  • No spam, self-promotion, credentials, or personal data