CVE-2007-3391 in Wireshark
Summary
by MITRE
Wireshark 0.99.5 allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (memory consumption) via a malformed DCP ETSI packet that triggers an infinite loop.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 07/21/2019
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2007-3391 represents a critical denial of service flaw within Wireshark version 0.99.5 that can be exploited remotely to consume excessive system memory resources. This issue specifically affects the packet parsing functionality when processing DCP ETSI (Device Configuration Protocol for ETSI standards) packets, which are commonly used in telecommunications and networking equipment for device configuration and management purposes. The flaw exists in the dissector component responsible for interpreting and displaying network protocol data within the Wireshark analysis framework.
The technical root cause of this vulnerability lies in improper input validation and error handling within the DCP ETSI packet parser. When Wireshark encounters a malformed DCP ETSI packet that contains specific malformed data structures or recursive references, the parsing routine enters an infinite loop during packet processing. This infinite loop occurs because the dissector fails to properly validate the packet structure and does not implement adequate bounds checking or termination conditions for recursive parsing operations. The flaw is categorized under CWE-835, which specifically addresses the issue of infinite loops in software implementations, making it a direct manifestation of improper loop termination logic.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple service disruption to potentially affect network monitoring operations and system stability. An attacker capable of sending malicious DCP ETSI packets to a system running Wireshark could cause the application to consume excessive memory resources until the system becomes unresponsive or crashes entirely. This scenario is particularly concerning in network security monitoring environments where Wireshark is commonly deployed to analyze network traffic for security incidents. The vulnerability can be exploited remotely without requiring authentication, making it particularly dangerous in environments where network traffic analysis tools are exposed to untrusted network segments.
The attack vector for this vulnerability demonstrates characteristics consistent with the ATT&CK technique T1499.004, which involves the use of resource exhaustion to disrupt system availability. The flaw enables an attacker to perform a denial of service attack against network monitoring infrastructure, potentially compromising the ability of security teams to monitor and analyze network traffic for legitimate security purposes. This makes the vulnerability particularly dangerous in enterprise environments where network monitoring tools are critical for security operations and incident response activities.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2007-3391 should prioritize immediate patching of affected Wireshark installations to version 0.99.6 or later, which contains the necessary fixes for the DCP ETSI packet parsing logic. Network administrators should also implement network segmentation and access controls to limit exposure of Wireshark instances to untrusted network traffic. Additionally, implementing traffic filtering rules to block or drop DCP ETSI packets at network boundaries can provide an additional layer of defense. The vulnerability highlights the importance of proper input validation and bounds checking in protocol dissector implementations, and serves as a reminder of the critical need for thorough testing of parsing logic against malformed inputs to prevent similar issues in other network analysis tools and security applications.