CVE-2023-52161 – This vulnerability in iNet wireless daemon (IWD... (How to Fix)

Q: What is the severity of CVE-2023-52161?

CVE-2023-52161 has a CVSS score of 7.5 (HIGH). This vulnerability in iNet wireless daemon (IWD) allows attackers to bypass Wi-Fi network authentication by exploiting a flaw in the EAPOL handshake. Attackers can send a specially crafted message with an all-zero key to gain unauthorized access to protected Wi-Fi networks. Systems running IWD versions before 2.14 in Access Point mode are affected.

📋 TL;DR

This vulnerability in iNet wireless daemon (IWD) allows attackers to bypass Wi-Fi network authentication by exploiting a flaw in the EAPOL handshake. Attackers can send a specially crafted message with an all-zero key to gain unauthorized access to protected Wi-Fi networks. Systems running IWD versions before 2.14 in Access Point mode are affected.

💻 Affected Systems

Products:

iNet wireless daemon (IWD)

Versions: All versions before 2.14

Operating Systems: Linux distributions using IWD

Default Config Vulnerable: ⚠️ Yes

Notes: Only affects systems where IWD is configured as an Access Point. Client mode is not vulnerable.

📦 What is this software?

Inet Wireless Daemon by Intel

View all CVEs affecting Inet Wireless Daemon →

⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact

🔴

Worst Case

Complete compromise of Wi-Fi network security, allowing unauthorized devices to connect, intercept traffic, and potentially launch further attacks against connected clients.

🟠

Likely Case

Unauthorized network access leading to data interception, network resource consumption, and potential lateral movement within the network.

🟢

If Mitigated

Limited impact if network segmentation, encryption, and monitoring are properly implemented to detect unauthorized connections.

🌐 Internet-Facing: MEDIUM

🏢 Internal Only: HIGH

🎯 Exploit Status

Public PoC: ✅ No

Weaponized: LIKELY

Unauthenticated Exploit: ⚠️ Yes

Complexity: LOW

Exploitation requires proximity to the target Wi-Fi network and knowledge of the SSID. No authentication is required to trigger the vulnerability.

🛠️ Fix & Mitigation

✅ Official Fix

Patch Version: 2.14 and later

Vendor Advisory: https://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/network/wireless/iwd.git/commit/?id=6415420f1c92012f64063c131480ffcef58e60ca

Restart Required: Yes

Instructions:

1. Update IWD to version 2.14 or later using your distribution's package manager. 2. Restart the IWD service. 3. Verify the update was successful.

🔧 Temporary Workarounds

Disable IWD Access Point Mode

linux

If IWD Access Point functionality is not required, disable it to eliminate the attack surface.

sudo systemctl stop iwd
sudo systemctl disable iwd

Use Alternative Wi-Fi Daemon

linux

Switch to wpa_supplicant or another wireless daemon that is not vulnerable.

sudo apt remove iwd
sudo apt install wpa-supplicant

🧯 If You Can't Patch

Implement network segmentation to isolate the vulnerable Access Point from critical systems.
Enable strict monitoring for unauthorized MAC addresses and unusual connection patterns.

🔍 How to Verify

Check if Vulnerable:

Check IWD version: 'iwd --version' or 'systemctl status iwd' and verify if version is below 2.14.

Check Version:

iwd --version

Verify Fix Applied:

After updating, run 'iwd --version' to confirm version 2.14 or higher is installed.

📡 Detection & Monitoring

Log Indicators:

Failed authentication attempts followed by successful connections
Unusual MAC addresses connecting to the Access Point

Network Indicators:

Unexpected EAPOL handshake patterns
Connections using all-zero keys in packet captures

SIEM Query:

source="iwd.log" AND ("authentication failed" OR "unexpected message")

📊 Metadata

CVE ID: CVE-2023-52161

CVSS v3 Score: 7.5 (HIGH)

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

CWE: CWE-287

Published: February 22, 2024

Last Updated: November 4, 2025

🔗 References

📤 Share & Export

📄 Export Markdown 📋 Export JSON

🔗 Related Vulnerabilities

If you're affected by CVE-2023-52161, you might also want to check these: