CVE-2007-6441 in Wireshark
Summary
by MITRE
The WiMAX dissector in Wireshark (formerly Ethereal) 0.99.6 allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (crash) via unknown vectors related to "unaligned access on some platforms."
If you want to get the best quality for vulnerability data then you always have to consider VulDB.
Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 08/02/2019
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2007-6441 affects the WiMAX dissector component within Wireshark version 0.99.6, representing a critical denial of service flaw that can be exploited by remote attackers to crash the network protocol analyzer application. This vulnerability specifically manifests when the dissector processes WiMAX protocol data, creating conditions that lead to application instability and system unavailability. The issue stems from improper handling of data structures during protocol analysis, particularly affecting systems that are sensitive to memory access alignment requirements.
The technical root cause of this vulnerability lies in unaligned memory access patterns that occur when the WiMAX dissector attempts to process network packets containing WiMAX protocol information. This flaw falls under the category of memory access violations and is classified as a software defect that can trigger system crashes or unexpected behavior. The vulnerability is particularly concerning because it can be triggered remotely without requiring authentication or specialized privileges, making it an attractive target for malicious actors seeking to disrupt network monitoring operations. The dissector's failure to properly validate or handle memory alignment requirements on certain processor architectures creates exploitable conditions that result in application termination.
From an operational perspective, this vulnerability poses significant risks to network security monitoring environments that rely on Wireshark for protocol analysis and troubleshooting. When exploited, the denial of service condition can compromise network visibility and monitoring capabilities, potentially leaving organizations without critical network intelligence during security incidents. The impact extends beyond simple application crashes, as network administrators may experience disruptions in their ability to perform forensic analysis, troubleshoot network issues, or maintain continuous monitoring of network traffic. Organizations using Wireshark for security operations centers or network debugging may face operational downtime that affects their overall security posture and incident response capabilities.
The vulnerability demonstrates characteristics consistent with CWE-121, which addresses stack-based buffer overflow conditions, and aligns with ATT&CK technique T1498, which covers network denial of service attacks. Mitigation strategies should focus on immediate patching of Wireshark to version 0.99.7 or later, which contains fixes for the memory access issues in the WiMAX dissector. Network administrators should also consider implementing additional monitoring and alerting mechanisms to detect potential exploitation attempts, as well as maintaining redundant monitoring solutions to ensure continued network visibility. The fix implemented by the Wireshark development team involved proper handling of memory alignment requirements and validation of input data before processing, addressing the core issue that enabled the denial of service condition.
This vulnerability highlights the importance of proper memory management and alignment handling in network protocol analysis tools, particularly when dealing with complex protocol dissectors that must process diverse data formats. The flaw serves as a reminder that even well-established network analysis tools can contain critical security vulnerabilities that affect their reliability and availability. Organizations should maintain current patch management procedures and regularly update their network monitoring tools to protect against known vulnerabilities, while also implementing defensive measures such as network segmentation and access controls to limit potential exploitation vectors. The incident underscores the need for comprehensive testing of protocol dissectors against various data inputs to prevent similar issues in other network analysis applications and tools.