CVE-2010-2284 in Wireshark
Summary
by MITRE
Buffer overflow in the ASN.1 BER dissector in Wireshark 0.10.13 through 1.0.13 and 1.2.0 through 1.2.8 has unknown impact and remote attack vectors.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 09/15/2021
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2010-2284 represents a critical buffer overflow flaw within the ASN.1 Basic Encoding Rules (BER) dissector component of Wireshark network protocol analyzer. This issue affects multiple versions of the software including 0.10.13 through 1.0.13 and 1.2.0 through 1.2.8, creating a significant security risk for users who rely on Wireshark for network traffic analysis and monitoring. The vulnerability resides in the way Wireshark processes ASN.1 BER encoded data packets, which are commonly used in various network protocols including LDAP, SNMP, and various telecommunications standards. The buffer overflow occurs when the dissector attempts to parse malformed or specially crafted ASN.1 BER structures that exceed expected buffer boundaries, potentially leading to memory corruption and arbitrary code execution.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from inadequate input validation within the ASN.1 BER dissector module. When Wireshark encounters network packets containing ASN.1 BER encoded data, it attempts to parse and display the structure information to users. However, the dissector fails to properly validate the length fields and data boundaries of these structures, allowing attackers to craft malicious packets that cause the parser to write beyond allocated memory buffers. This type of flaw falls under CWE-121, which specifically addresses stack-based buffer overflow conditions where insufficient boundary checking allows writes to overflow into adjacent memory locations. The vulnerability's remote attack vector means that an attacker can exploit this issue by simply sending malicious network traffic to a system running the vulnerable Wireshark version, without requiring any special privileges or local access.
The operational impact of CVE-2010-2284 extends beyond simple denial of service scenarios, as it represents a potential path for remote code execution. When exploited successfully, this buffer overflow could allow attackers to execute arbitrary code on systems where vulnerable Wireshark versions are running, potentially leading to complete system compromise. The attack surface is particularly concerning given Wireshark's widespread use in network security monitoring, penetration testing, and forensic analysis across enterprise environments, educational institutions, and security research organizations. Network administrators and security professionals who use Wireshark for packet analysis are at risk when capturing traffic from potentially malicious sources, as simply opening a capture file containing the crafted ASN.1 BER structures could trigger the vulnerability.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2010-2284 primarily involve immediate software updates to versions that have patched the buffer overflow issue. The Wireshark development team released fixed versions that properly validate ASN.1 BER structure lengths and implement proper boundary checking to prevent memory corruption. Organizations should also implement network segmentation and monitoring to detect potential exploitation attempts, as well as maintain updated threat intelligence feeds that identify malicious traffic patterns associated with this vulnerability. From an ATT&CK framework perspective, this vulnerability maps to techniques involving command and control communication and remote service exploitation, as attackers could potentially use this flaw to establish persistent access through compromised monitoring systems. Additionally, implementing network access controls and restricting the ability of untrusted users to process network captures would provide additional defensive layers against exploitation attempts.