CVE-2006-4574 in Wireshark
Summary
by MITRE
Off-by-one error in the MIME Multipart dissector in Wireshark (formerly Ethereal) 0.10.1 through 0.99.3 allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (crash) via certain vectors that trigger an assertion error related to unexpected length values.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 04/25/2026
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2006-4574 represents a critical off-by-one error within the MIME Multipart dissector component of Wireshark, formerly known as Ethereal, affecting versions ranging from 0.10.1 through 0.99.3. This flaw exists in the protocol analysis engine responsible for parsing and displaying email message content within network packet captures, specifically targeting the handling of multipart MIME structures that are commonly used in email communications. The issue manifests when the dissector encounters malformed or unexpected length values in MIME multipart boundaries, leading to improper memory handling and subsequent system instability.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from inadequate input validation within the MIME parsing logic where the dissector fails to properly validate boundary length parameters during packet analysis. When processing network traffic containing specially crafted MIME multipart data, the dissector performs a calculation that results in an off-by-one error, causing memory access violations and assertion failures. This type of error falls under the CWE-129 weakness category, which specifically addresses improper validation of length values leading to buffer overflows or memory corruption. The vulnerability operates at the application layer protocol parsing level, where the dissector's boundary handling logic does not account for edge cases involving boundary length calculations, particularly when dealing with zero-length or excessively large boundary parameters.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple denial of service, as it can be exploited by remote attackers to cause complete application crashes without requiring any privileged access or authentication. Network analysts and security professionals who rely on Wireshark for packet analysis and troubleshooting face significant risk when processing malicious traffic, as a single malformed packet containing crafted MIME multipart data can cause the entire application to terminate unexpectedly. This represents a severe reliability concern for network monitoring operations, as the crash can occur at any time during packet capture analysis, potentially interrupting ongoing network investigations or security assessments. The vulnerability specifically targets the dissector's assertion mechanism, which is designed to catch programming errors during development but becomes exploitable in production environments when faced with unexpected input values.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2006-4574 primarily involve immediate upgrading to Wireshark versions 0.99.4 or later, where the off-by-one error has been corrected through proper boundary length validation and memory handling improvements. Network administrators should implement network segmentation and traffic filtering to prevent exposure to potentially malicious traffic containing crafted MIME multipart data, particularly in environments where untrusted network traffic is processed. The vulnerability demonstrates the importance of input validation in protocol analysis tools and aligns with ATT&CK technique T1059.007 for application layer protocol analysis, where adversaries may exploit parsing vulnerabilities to disrupt network monitoring capabilities. Additionally, implementing automated patch management systems and regular security assessments of network analysis tools helps prevent similar vulnerabilities from being exploited in operational environments, as this type of flaw commonly appears in legacy protocol parsing implementations where comprehensive input validation was not initially considered during development phases.