"A remote buffer overflow vulnerability in the Linux Kernel could be exploited by attackers to execute code or cripple affected systems, according to a Gentoo bug report that just became public.

The flaw could allow malicious hackers to launch arbitrary code with kernel-level privileges.  This could lead to complete system compromise or, in some cases if an exploit fails, result in denial-of-service attacks.

This from the Gentoo bug report:

• Anders Kaseorg discovered that ndiswrapper did not correctly handle long ESSIDs. If ndiswrapper is in use, a physically near-by attacker could generate specially crafted wireless network traffic and crash the system, leading to a denial of service."

Read more: http://blogs.zdnet.com/security/?p=2121