CVE-2026-24077: Wireless Network Information Disclosure

CVE-2026-24077 Overview

CVE-2026-24077 is an information disclosure vulnerability affecting Qualcomm components that process wireless network channel switch announcements. The flaw stems from improperly formatted length fields handled during parsing of channel switch information. An attacker within wireless range can send crafted frames to trigger the condition and read data outside the intended buffer boundary. The issue is classified under [CWE-191] Integer Underflow (Wrap or Wraparound). Qualcomm disclosed the vulnerability in its August 2026 Security Bulletin.

Critical Impact
Adjacent-network attackers can extract sensitive memory contents from affected wireless stacks without authentication or user interaction, exposing data confidentiality on impacted devices.

Affected Products

Qualcomm wireless components referenced in the August 2026 Security Bulletin
Devices integrating vulnerable Qualcomm Wi-Fi firmware and drivers
Downstream OEM platforms shipping affected chipsets

Discovery Timeline

2026-08-04 - CVE-2026-24077 published to NVD
2026-08-06 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2026-24077

Vulnerability Analysis

The vulnerability occurs in the code path that parses wireless channel switch information elements. When a frame carries an improperly formatted length field, the parser calculates buffer boundaries using untrusted values. An integer underflow allows subsequent read operations to reference memory outside the intended structure. The result is disclosure of adjacent memory contents to the caller or to attacker-controlled processing logic.

The issue does not require authentication or user interaction. Exploitation is constrained to attackers within wireless range of the target device, matching the Adjacent Network attack vector. Impact is limited to confidentiality; integrity and availability are not affected according to the published metrics.

Root Cause

The root cause is an integer underflow [CWE-191] in length validation logic. The parser subtracts a header size or offset from a length field without first verifying that the length is greater than or equal to that offset. When the attacker supplies a length smaller than the offset, the result wraps to a large unsigned value, which then guides subsequent memory reads.

Attack Vector

An attacker within Wi-Fi range transmits a management frame containing a channel switch announcement with a malformed length field. The vulnerable driver processes the frame, computes an invalid remaining-length value, and copies or reads memory beyond the frame buffer. Sensitive kernel or driver memory can then be exposed to the attacker.

No verified exploitation code is available. See the Qualcomm Security Bulletin - August 2026 for vendor-supplied technical detail.

Detection Methods for CVE-2026-24077

Indicators of Compromise

Malformed 802.11 management frames containing Channel Switch Announcement elements with length fields smaller than the defined element header size
Unexpected driver or firmware crash logs referencing channel switch parsing routines
Repeated beacon or action frames from unknown BSSIDs in the vicinity of affected devices

Detection Strategies

Deploy wireless intrusion detection sensors that inspect 802.11 information element length fields against the standard
Alert on beacon, probe response, or action frames where the Channel Switch Announcement element length is inconsistent with expected values
Correlate wireless anomalies with endpoint telemetry indicating driver instability or unusual memory access patterns

Monitoring Recommendations

Baseline typical channel switch announcement traffic in enterprise Wi-Fi environments and alert on deviations
Forward wireless controller and device driver logs to a central SIEM for retention and analysis
Monitor vendor security bulletins for updates covering additional affected chipset revisions

How to Mitigate CVE-2026-24077

Immediate Actions Required

Identify devices using affected Qualcomm wireless components across the environment
Apply firmware and driver updates referenced in the August 2026 Qualcomm Security Bulletin as soon as OEM builds are available
Restrict use of untrusted Wi-Fi networks on unpatched devices until updates are deployed

Patch Information

Qualcomm has published fixes in coordination with device OEMs. Refer to the Qualcomm Security Bulletin - August 2026 for the list of affected components and required firmware or driver versions. Apply the corresponding OEM security update once released for each platform.

Workarounds

Disable Wi-Fi on affected devices when operating in untrusted radio environments
Prefer wired or cellular connectivity for sensitive workloads on unpatched endpoints
Enforce enterprise SSIDs with rogue access point detection to reduce exposure to attacker-controlled radios

bash

# Example: temporarily disable Wi-Fi radio on Linux until patched firmware is installed
rfkill block wifi