CVE-2024-53055 is a vulnerability identified in the Linux kernel's wireless driver subsystem, specifically within the iwlwifi driver responsible for Intel wireless devices. The flaw arises in the handling of 6 GHz Wi-Fi scan construction when a large number of colocated Access Points (APs) are detected during 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz scanning. The root cause is a loop variable declared as an 8-bit unsigned integer (u8), which cannot correctly iterate beyond 255 APs. When the number of APs exceeds 255, the loop variable overflows and causes an infinite loop, leading to a hang or denial of service (DoS) condition. The variable controlling the total number of APs is a 32-bit unsigned integer (u32), which can represent much larger values, but the loop variable's limited size causes the logic failure. The fix involves changing the loop variable to a u32 type and limiting the number of scan results to a maximum of 1000, ensuring safe iteration. The vulnerability affects Linux kernel versions containing the specified commit hashes prior to the patch. This issue does not appear to have known exploits in the wild yet. The vulnerability impacts the wireless scanning functionality of Intel Wi-Fi devices on Linux systems, potentially causing system hangs or degraded wireless performance when scanning in environments with a very high density of APs. The vulnerability is technical and specific to the wireless driver implementation, requiring crafted network environments with more than 255 colocated APs to trigger the infinite loop.

For European organizations, this vulnerability could lead to denial of service conditions on Linux systems using affected Intel wireless drivers when operating in environments with extremely dense Wi-Fi deployments, such as large enterprise campuses, conference centers, or urban areas with many overlapping wireless networks. The infinite loop could cause system hangs or degraded wireless scanning performance, impacting network connectivity and operational continuity. While the vulnerability does not directly lead to privilege escalation or data compromise, the resulting DoS could disrupt critical wireless communications, affecting productivity and availability of network services. Organizations relying on Linux-based infrastructure with Intel Wi-Fi hardware, including servers, workstations, and embedded devices, may experience intermittent wireless failures or require system reboots to recover. The impact is primarily on availability and operational stability rather than confidentiality or integrity. Given the increasing deployment of 6 GHz Wi-Fi (Wi-Fi 6E) in Europe, the vulnerability's relevance will grow as more devices and networks adopt this spectrum. However, the requirement for an environment with more than 255 colocated APs limits the likelihood of widespread exploitation in typical settings.

To mitigate this vulnerability, European organizations should promptly apply the Linux kernel patches that address CVE-2024-53055 once available from their Linux distribution vendors or kernel maintainers. Specifically, updating the iwlwifi driver to the fixed version that uses a 32-bit loop variable and enforces scan result limits is critical. Network administrators should monitor wireless environments for unusually high densities of APs and consider segmenting or reducing overlapping Wi-Fi coverage where feasible to minimize triggering conditions. For critical systems, temporarily disabling 6 GHz scanning or using alternative wireless adapters not affected by this issue may be considered until patches are applied. Additionally, organizations should implement robust system monitoring to detect hangs or performance degradation related to wireless scanning and automate recovery procedures such as service restarts or system reboots. Coordination with hardware vendors and Linux distribution maintainers to ensure timely patch deployment is essential. Finally, maintaining an inventory of affected devices and their kernel versions will help prioritize remediation efforts.