CVE-2013-4579
The ath9k_htc_set_bssid_mask function in drivers/net/wireless/ath/ath9k/htc_drv_main.c in the Linux kernel through 3.12 uses a BSSID…
- 4.3MediumCVSS base score
- 10.2%Exploitation in 30 daysEPSS · top 4.3% of all CVEs
- NoKnown exploitednot in CISA's KEV catalog
- 1Public exploitsMetasploit, Nuclei and Exploit-DB
Description
The ath9k_htc_set_bssid_mask function in drivers/net/wireless/ath/ath9k/htc_drv_main.c in the Linux kernel through 3.12 uses a BSSID masking approach to determine the set of MAC addresses on which a Wi-Fi device is listening, which allows remote attackers to discover the original MAC address after spoofing by sending a series of packets to MAC addresses with certain bit manipulations.
Public exploit
An exploit or proof of concept is public: anyone can try it against an unpatched system. The public collections list an Exploit-DB entry for it.
Show the exploits1
Exploit-DB1 entry
- Linux Kernel 3.0.5 - 'ath9k_htc_set_bssid_mask()' Information Disclosure (Exploit-DB entry) (opens in a new tab)
EDB-ID 38826remote, linuxpublished 10 Dec 2013Verified
Modules, templates and exploits as listed by the Metasploit Framework (BSD-3-Clause), ProjectDiscovery's Nuclei templates (MIT) and the Exploit Database (GPLv2), read once a day. Where the data comes from
Timeline
ID reserved
By redhat
- 5 months later
· 5 months later
Published
- 11 years later
· 11 years later
Record updated
Changes after publication (a new score, a public exploit, EPSS crossing 1, 10 or 50 %, leaving KEV) are kept since November 2026; earlier ones are not known.
Scores
| Scored by | CVSS | Score | Vector |
|---|---|---|---|
| NVDNVD · Modified | 2.0 | Medium4.3 | AV:N/AC:M/Au:N/C:P/I:N/A:N |
- EPSS (exploitation in 30 days)
- 10.2% · top 4.3% of all CVEs (10 Nov 2026)
The list uses the assigner's score when there is one, then CISA's, then NVD's: Medium 4.3.
Affected products
n/a
- affected n/a
References
13
- USN-2135-1 (opens in a new tab)vendor-advisoryx_refsource_UBUNTUx_transferred
- USN-2138-1 (opens in a new tab)vendor-advisoryx_refsource_UBUNTUx_transferred
- USN-2113-1 (opens in a new tab)vendor-advisoryx_refsource_UBUNTUx_transferred
- USN-2141-1 (opens in a new tab)vendor-advisoryx_refsource_UBUNTUx_transferred
- [oss-security] 20131114 Re: CVE request: ath9k_htc improperly updates MAC address (opens in a new tab)mailing-listx_refsource_MLISTx_transferred
- USN-2136-1 (opens in a new tab)vendor-advisoryx_refsource_UBUNTUx_transferred
- USN-2139-1 (opens in a new tab)vendor-advisoryx_refsource_UBUNTUx_transferred
- USN-2134-1 (opens in a new tab)vendor-advisoryx_refsource_UBUNTUx_transferred
- USN-2117-1 (opens in a new tab)vendor-advisoryx_refsource_UBUNTUx_transferred
- USN-2133-1 (opens in a new tab)vendor-advisoryx_refsource_UBUNTUx_transferred
- http://www.mathyvanhoef.com/2013/11/unmasking-spoofed-mac-address.html (opens in a new tab)x_refsource_MISCx_transferred
- [ath9k-devel] 20131110 Security Bug: MAC address not properly configured (opens in a new tab)mailing-listx_refsource_MLISTx_transferred
- http://bugs.debian.org/cgi-bin/bugreport.cgi?bug=729573 (opens in a new tab)x_refsource_MISCx_transferred
Sources
The same CVE in the primary databases and aggregators, to check against.
- CVE.org record (opens in a new tab)
- CVE List JSON (GitHub) (opens in a new tab)
- NVD (opens in a new tab)
- FIRST EPSS (opens in a new tab)
- EUVD EUVD-2013-4437 (opens in a new tab)
- OSV.dev (opens in a new tab)
- GitHub Advisories (opens in a new tab)
- CIRCL Vulnerability-Lookup (opens in a new tab)
Badge for a README or a ticket
[](https://cveledger.app/cve/CVE-2013-4579)Record last updated .