CVE-2023-52160 is a vulnerability in the PEAP (Protected Extensible Authentication Protocol) implementation within wpa_supplicant, a widely used supplicant for managing Wi-Fi authentication on Linux and other platforms. The flaw arises when wpa_supplicant is configured to bypass verification of the network's TLS certificate during Phase 1 of PEAP authentication. Under these conditions, an attacker can exploit an eap_peap_decrypt vulnerability by sending a crafted EAP-TLV Success packet instead of initiating Phase 2 authentication. This manipulation allows the attacker to bypass the second phase of authentication, which normally verifies user credentials, effectively enabling authentication bypass. The attacker can impersonate legitimate Enterprise Wi-Fi networks, potentially gaining unauthorized network access. The vulnerability does not require privileges or user interaction, but depends on insecure client configuration (disabling TLS certificate verification). The CVSS score is 6.5 (medium severity), reflecting the network attack vector, low attack complexity, no privileges required, but requiring user interaction (e.g., connecting to a rogue access point). The vulnerability impacts confidentiality by allowing unauthorized network access but does not affect integrity or availability directly. No patches are currently linked, and no known exploits are reported in the wild, but the risk remains significant for misconfigured clients.

For European organizations, this vulnerability poses a risk to the confidentiality of enterprise Wi-Fi networks, particularly those relying on PEAP authentication with wpa_supplicant clients that do not enforce TLS certificate validation. Attackers could impersonate legitimate Wi-Fi networks, leading to unauthorized access to internal resources, interception of sensitive data, and potential lateral movement within corporate networks. Sectors with high reliance on secure Wi-Fi connectivity, such as finance, government, healthcare, and critical infrastructure, could face increased risk. The vulnerability could undermine trust in enterprise wireless security, potentially leading to data breaches or espionage. Although exploitation requires specific client misconfiguration, the widespread use of wpa_supplicant in Linux-based devices and embedded systems in Europe increases the attack surface. The lack of known exploits suggests limited current threat activity, but the ease of exploitation and potential impact warrant proactive mitigation.

1. Enforce strict TLS certificate validation in wpa_supplicant configurations to prevent clients from accepting unverified or rogue certificates during PEAP Phase 1 authentication. 2. Monitor and audit Wi-Fi client configurations across the organization to identify and remediate devices with disabled TLS verification. 3. Apply updates or patches to wpa_supplicant as they become available from maintainers to address the underlying eap_peap_decrypt vulnerability. 4. Implement network access controls and segmentation to limit the impact of unauthorized Wi-Fi connections. 5. Deploy wireless intrusion detection/prevention systems (WIDS/WIPS) to detect rogue access points and anomalous authentication attempts. 6. Educate users and administrators about the risks of disabling TLS verification and the importance of secure Wi-Fi authentication settings. 7. Consider alternative EAP methods with stronger security guarantees if feasible. 8. Regularly review and update Wi-Fi security policies to incorporate lessons from this vulnerability.