CVE-2010-2286 in Wireshark
Summary
by MITRE
The SigComp Universal Decompressor Virtual Machine dissector in Wireshark 0.10.7 through 1.0.13 and 1.2.0 through 1.2.8 allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (infinite loop) via unknown vectors.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 09/15/2021
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2010-2286 represents a critical denial of service flaw within Wireshark's network protocol analysis capabilities. This issue specifically affects the SigComp Universal Decompressor Virtual Machine dissector, which is responsible for decoding compressed signaling messages in telecommunications protocols. The vulnerability manifests when processing malformed or specially crafted network traffic that triggers an infinite loop within the dissector's processing logic. The affected versions span across Wireshark 0.10.7 through 1.0.13 and 1.2.0 through 1.2.8, indicating a prolonged period during which this flaw remained unaddressed. The infinite loop occurs during the decompression process of SigComp messages, where the virtual machine interpreter fails to properly handle certain edge cases in the compressed data structure, causing the application to consume excessive CPU resources and become unresponsive.
The technical nature of this vulnerability aligns with CWE-835, which describes the weakness of an infinite loop or infinite recursion in software systems. The flaw operates at the protocol dissector level within Wireshark's architecture, where the SigComp decompressor virtual machine processes compressed signaling messages that are commonly found in telecommunications networks. When an attacker crafts packets containing malformed SigComp compressed data, the dissector enters a loop where it continuously processes the same compressed structure without making forward progress. This behavior violates fundamental security principles and represents a classic example of a resource exhaustion attack that can be executed remotely without authentication. The vulnerability demonstrates poor input validation and error handling within the decompression algorithm, where boundary conditions are not properly checked before entering iterative processing loops. Network traffic analysis tools like Wireshark are often used in security monitoring and incident response scenarios, making this vulnerability particularly dangerous as it can be exploited to disrupt network monitoring capabilities.
The operational impact of CVE-2010-2286 extends beyond simple service disruption to potentially compromise network security operations and monitoring infrastructure. When an attacker successfully exploits this vulnerability, they can cause a complete denial of service on systems running affected Wireshark versions, effectively rendering the network analysis capabilities useless for monitoring network traffic. This vulnerability is particularly concerning in enterprise environments where Wireshark is commonly used for troubleshooting network issues and security analysis. The infinite loop condition can persist for extended periods, consuming significant system resources and potentially causing system instability or crashes. Security professionals and network administrators who rely on Wireshark for real-time monitoring and incident response activities may find their tools rendered ineffective during an attack. The vulnerability also impacts the broader network security ecosystem as it can be used to disrupt security operations, making it difficult for organizations to detect and respond to other potential threats. From an attacker's perspective, this vulnerability provides a low-effort method to disrupt network monitoring capabilities without requiring advanced technical skills or significant resources, making it attractive for both opportunistic and targeted attacks.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2010-2286 primarily focus on immediate version upgrades to patched releases of Wireshark. The most effective remediation involves upgrading to Wireshark versions that contain fixes for this specific infinite loop vulnerability in the SigComp dissector. Organizations should implement a comprehensive patch management process to ensure all instances of Wireshark across their network infrastructure are updated promptly. Network administrators should also consider implementing network segmentation and monitoring to detect unusual CPU usage patterns that might indicate exploitation attempts. The vulnerability can be addressed through defensive measures such as configuring firewalls to limit access to systems running Wireshark, particularly in public network segments. Additionally, implementing intrusion detection systems that can identify malformed SigComp traffic patterns may help detect exploitation attempts before they can cause significant disruption. Organizations should also review their network monitoring procedures to ensure that system resource usage is properly monitored and that alerts are configured for unusual CPU consumption patterns. From a defensive standpoint, this vulnerability highlights the importance of input validation and proper error handling in protocol analysis tools, as well as the necessity of thorough testing of dissector components against malformed data inputs. The incident serves as a reminder of the critical importance of maintaining up-to-date security tools and the potential consequences of running vulnerable software in production environments, particularly in security-sensitive contexts where network monitoring capabilities are essential for maintaining operational security.