CVE-2012-2389: hostapd 0.7.3, and possibly other versions before 1.0, uses 0644 permissions for /etc/hostapd/hostapd.conf,...

Security readout for executives and security teams

CVE-2012-2389 is a hostapd configuration-file permission issue. On affected systems, /etc/hostapd/hostapd.conf may be readable by all local users, exposing secrets such as wireless credentials. The risk is mainly credential disclosure after local access, not a remote takeover by itself. Exposure is most likely on systems running hostapd 0.7.3 or older distribution packages that create hostapd.conf as world-readable. Systems are at risk when that file contains credentials or shared secrets and local user accounts exist. Treat this as a moderate-priority hygiene and credential-protection issue. It is not described as remotely exploitable, but exposed Wi-Fi or authentication secrets can create business impact if local users or compromised low-privilege accounts can read them. Mitigation focus: Review vendor advisories for the specific hostapd package and distribution.; Update hostapd packages where vendor fixes are available.; Restrict hostapd.conf so only privileged service users can read it..

Prepared

Jun 24, 2026, 12:34 UTC (UTC+00:00)

Generated from the cited source records. This long-tail analysis has not been individually reviewed by a named human.