CVE-2008-3141 in Wireshark
Summary
by MITRE
Unspecified vulnerability in the RMI dissector in Wireshark (formerly Ethereal) 0.9.5 through 1.0.0 allows remote attackers to read system memory via unspecified vectors.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 08/13/2019
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2008-3141 represents a critical security flaw within the Remote Method Invocation (RMI) dissector component of Wireshark versions 0.9.5 through 1.0.0. This issue falls under the broader category of memory corruption vulnerabilities and specifically affects the network protocol analysis tool's ability to properly handle RMI traffic. The vulnerability enables remote attackers to potentially access sensitive system memory contents through unspecified vectors, creating a significant risk for network monitoring and forensic analysis operations.
The technical nature of this vulnerability stems from improper input validation and memory handling within the RMI dissector module. When Wireshark processes RMI protocol packets, the dissector fails to adequately validate the structure and content of incoming data, leading to potential buffer overflows or memory access violations. This flaw allows attackers to craft malicious RMI packets that, when processed by the vulnerable Wireshark version, can cause the application to read arbitrary memory locations. The unspecified vectors suggest that multiple attack paths may exist, potentially including malformed packet structures, unexpected data sequences, or specific protocol state transitions that trigger the memory access behavior. This type of vulnerability is classified under CWE-125 as "Out-of-bounds Read" and may also relate to CWE-119 as "Improper Restriction of Operations within the Bounds of a Memory Buffer" according to the Common Weakness Enumeration catalog.
The operational impact of CVE-2008-3141 extends beyond simple data exposure, as it fundamentally compromises the integrity and confidentiality of network traffic analysis operations. Network security analysts and forensic investigators who rely on Wireshark for monitoring RMI-based communications face potential exposure of sensitive information including authentication credentials, session data, and application-specific memory contents. The vulnerability creates a risk that attackers could gain access to information that would normally be protected by network segmentation and application-level security controls. This is particularly concerning in enterprise environments where Wireshark is commonly used for network troubleshooting, security monitoring, and incident response activities, as the compromised tool could inadvertently reveal confidential information during routine network analysis operations.
From an adversarial perspective, this vulnerability aligns with techniques described in the MITRE ATT&CK framework under the Tactic of Discovery and the technique of "Network Sniffing" (T1046) and "System Network Configuration Discovery" (T1016). The ability to read system memory through network traffic analysis tools provides attackers with a sophisticated means of information gathering that could be used to identify system configurations, extract authentication tokens, or discover network service endpoints. The vulnerability also represents a potential pathway for privilege escalation attacks, as memory contents may contain sensitive information that could be leveraged to compromise other systems or access restricted resources within the network environment.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2008-3141 require immediate action to upgrade affected Wireshark installations to versions that contain the necessary security patches. Organizations should implement network segmentation to limit exposure of critical systems to potentially malicious RMI traffic, while also monitoring for unusual network activity that might indicate exploitation attempts. The recommended approach involves updating to Wireshark version 1.0.1 or later, which includes fixes specifically addressing the RMI dissector vulnerability. Additionally, network administrators should consider implementing intrusion detection systems that can identify and alert on suspicious RMI packet patterns, and establish monitoring procedures to detect unauthorized access attempts to network analysis tools. Regular security assessments and vulnerability scanning should be conducted to ensure that all network monitoring tools remain up-to-date with the latest security patches and that appropriate access controls are maintained to prevent unauthorized use of these critical network analysis capabilities.