High severity · published May 21, 2026
CVE-2026-45255
Remote code execution via installer Wi-Fi access point scans
7.5
CVSS
0.3%
EPSS
No
On KEV
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.
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.
CVSS vector
CVSS:3.1/AV:A/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
Attack vector
Adjacent
Complexity
High
Privileges
None
User interaction
None
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High
Scope
Unchanged
Exploitation
Is it being used?
Exploit prediction (EPSS)0.3% · higher than 23% of CVEs
Exploited in the wildNo evidence yet
CISA KEVNot listed
Ransomware campaign useNot known
Affected products
Which versions
FR
FreeBSD · FreeBSD
15.0-RELEASE before p9; 14.4-RELEASE before p5; 14.3-RELEASE before p14 · source: vendor, NVD
References
NVD
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-45255
CVE.org
https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2026-45255
Vendor Advisory
https://security.freebsd.org/advisories/FreeBSD-SA-26:23.bsdinstall.asc
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