CVE-2006-4333 in Wireshark
Summary
by MITRE
The SSCOP dissector in Wireshark (formerly Ethereal) before 0.99.3 allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (resource consumption) via malformed packets that cause the Q.2391 dissector to use excessive memory.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 01/13/2025
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2006-4333 represents a critical resource exhaustion flaw within Wireshark's packet analysis capabilities, specifically affecting versions prior to 0.99.3. This issue resides within the SSCOP dissector component that processes Q.2391 protocol data, which is part of the Signaling System No. 7 (SS7) family of protocols used in telecommunications networks for signaling between network elements. The vulnerability manifests when the dissector encounters malformed packets that trigger excessive memory consumption during protocol analysis, creating a potential denial of service condition that can compromise the stability and availability of network monitoring operations.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from inadequate input validation within the Q.2391 dissector module. When Wireshark processes network traffic containing malformed SSCOP packets, the dissector fails to properly handle malformed data structures that cause memory allocation routines to consume excessive resources. This occurs because the dissector does not implement proper bounds checking or memory allocation limits when parsing protocol fields that may contain unexpected or corrupted values. The flaw creates a condition where the memory consumption grows uncontrollably, potentially leading to system instability or complete application termination.
From an operational perspective, this vulnerability presents significant risks to network security operations and monitoring environments that rely on Wireshark for traffic analysis. Attackers can exploit this weakness by crafting specially malformed packets that, when processed by an affected Wireshark instance, cause the application to consume excessive memory resources until system performance degrades or the application crashes entirely. This denial of service condition affects network administrators and security analysts who depend on continuous network monitoring capabilities, potentially masking actual network security incidents or disrupting critical network operations. The vulnerability is particularly concerning in environments where network traffic analysis is performed automatically or in real-time, as the impact can be immediate and widespread.
The mitigation strategy for this vulnerability involves upgrading to Wireshark version 0.99.3 or later, which includes patches that address the memory handling issues within the Q.2391 dissector. Additionally, network administrators should implement proper input validation and monitoring of network traffic to detect and filter potentially malicious packets before they reach the Wireshark analysis layer. Organizations should also consider implementing network segmentation and access controls to limit exposure to potentially malicious traffic that could trigger this vulnerability. This remediation aligns with cybersecurity best practices for maintaining software integrity and preventing resource exhaustion attacks that target protocol analysis tools.
This vulnerability demonstrates characteristics consistent with CWE-129 Input Validation and CWE-400 Uncontrolled Resource Consumption, where insufficient validation leads to resource exhaustion. The attack pattern follows ATT&CK technique T1499.004 for resource exhaustion, targeting the application's memory management capabilities. The flaw represents a classic example of how protocol analysis tools can become attack vectors themselves when they fail to properly validate input data, highlighting the importance of robust input sanitization in network security applications. Organizations should ensure their network monitoring tools are regularly updated to address such vulnerabilities that could compromise the availability and reliability of critical security infrastructure.