FreeBSD VuXML: Documenting security issues in FreeBSD and the FreeBSD Ports Collection

FreeBSD -- Remote code execution via installer Wi-Fi access point scans

Affected packages
15.0 <= FreeBSD < 15.0_9
14.4 <= FreeBSD < 14.4_5
14.3 <= FreeBSD < 14.3_14

Details

VuXML ID 039c0ab0-54b7-11f1-8d7a-bc241121aa0a
Discovery 2026-05-20
Entry 2026-05-21

Problem 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.

Impact:

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.

References

CVE Name CVE-2026-45255
FreeBSD Advisory SA-26:23.bsdinstall