CVE-2010-2283 in Wireshark
Summary
by MITRE
The SMB dissector in Wireshark 0.99.6 through 1.0.13, and 1.2.0 through 1.2.8 allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (NULL pointer dereference) via unknown vectors.
If you want to get best quality of vulnerability data, you may have to visit VulDB.
Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 09/15/2021
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2010-2283 represents a critical denial of service flaw within Wireshark's SMB protocol dissector implementation. This issue affects Wireshark versions ranging from 0.99.6 through 1.0.13 and 1.2.0 through 1.2.8, where the software's ability to parse and analyze Server Message Block protocol traffic becomes compromised. The flaw manifests as a NULL pointer dereference condition that occurs when processing specific SMB packets, fundamentally undermining the application's stability and operational integrity.
The technical nature of this vulnerability stems from inadequate input validation within the SMB dissector component of Wireshark. When encountering malformed or specially crafted SMB packets, the dissector fails to properly handle null references during packet analysis, leading to a crash of the entire Wireshark application. This NULL pointer dereference vulnerability falls under the CWE-476 category of NULL Pointer Dereference, which is a well-documented weakness in software development practices. The vulnerability operates at the protocol analysis layer where Wireshark processes network traffic, making it particularly dangerous as it can be triggered by simply capturing and analyzing network packets containing malicious SMB data.
The operational impact of CVE-2010-2283 extends beyond simple application instability, as it represents a potential vector for remote exploitation in network monitoring and security analysis environments. Network security professionals and analysts who rely on Wireshark for traffic inspection and forensic analysis face significant operational risks when this vulnerability exists in their tools. The denial of service condition effectively renders the monitoring capability useless until the application is restarted, potentially interrupting critical network analysis tasks and security operations. This vulnerability particularly affects environments where Wireshark is used for continuous network monitoring, intrusion detection, or security auditing activities, as attackers could exploit this weakness to disrupt security operations and maintain persistent network visibility.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability require immediate software updates to patched versions of Wireshark where the SMB dissector has been corrected to properly handle null references and malformed packets. System administrators should prioritize updating affected Wireshark installations to versions that address this specific NULL pointer dereference issue. Additionally, network monitoring environments should implement additional layers of protection including network segmentation, packet filtering, and monitoring for anomalous SMB traffic patterns that might indicate exploitation attempts. From an ATT&CK framework perspective, this vulnerability aligns with techniques involving service stoppage and application compromise, representing a denial of service attack that can be classified under the T1499.004 sub-technique related to network denial of service. Organizations should also consider implementing network-based intrusion detection systems that can identify and alert on suspicious SMB traffic patterns that might indicate exploitation attempts.