CVE-2010-2287 in Wireshark
Summary
by MITRE
Buffer overflow in the SigComp Universal Decompressor Virtual Machine dissector in Wireshark 0.10.8 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-2010-2287 represents a critical buffer overflow flaw within the SigComp Universal Decompressor Virtual Machine dissector component of Wireshark network protocol analyzer. This security weakness exists in Wireshark versions ranging from 0.10.8 through 1.0.13 and 1.2.0 through 1.2.8, making it a long-standing issue that affected multiple release branches of the widely-used network analysis tool. The vulnerability specifically targets the decompression functionality that processes SigComp (Signaling Compression) messages, which are commonly used in telecommunications protocols including SIP (Session Initiation Protocol) and Diameter. The buffer overflow condition occurs when the dissector attempts to process malformed or specially crafted SigComp compressed messages, creating an opportunity for arbitrary code execution or application crash.
The technical nature of this vulnerability places it under CWE-121, which categorizes buffer overflow conditions where insufficient bounds checking allows attackers to overwrite adjacent memory locations. The flaw manifests when the dissector fails to properly validate the size of incoming data before attempting to copy it into fixed-size buffers, leading to memory corruption that can be exploited by malicious actors. The attack vector is classified as remote since an attacker can craft malicious network traffic containing specially formatted SigComp messages that, when processed by the vulnerable Wireshark version, trigger the buffer overflow condition. This allows for potential remote code execution on systems running the affected Wireshark versions, as the application processes network packets without adequate input sanitization.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple application instability, as it creates a potential gateway for more sophisticated attacks within network monitoring environments. Network security professionals and analysts who rely on Wireshark for traffic analysis and forensic investigations face significant risk when using vulnerable versions, as a single malicious packet could compromise their analysis workstation. The vulnerability's unknown impact classification suggests that the exact nature of potential exploitation remains partially unclear, though buffer overflows of this nature typically allow for privilege escalation, denial of service, or complete system compromise depending on the execution environment. Organizations using Wireshark for network monitoring, incident response, or security auditing operations would be particularly vulnerable since these tools often run with elevated privileges and process sensitive network traffic from various sources.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2010-2287 primarily involve immediate version upgrades to patched releases of Wireshark, specifically versions 1.0.14, 1.2.9, and later. System administrators should also implement network segmentation and access controls to limit exposure, while network monitoring should include signature-based detection for known malicious SigComp traffic patterns. The vulnerability demonstrates the importance of input validation and bounds checking in protocol dissectors, aligning with ATT&CK technique T1059.007 for execution through protocol dissectors and T1489 for denial of service attacks. Organizations should also consider implementing network-based intrusion detection systems that can identify and block suspicious SigComp traffic patterns, while maintaining regular patch management processes to ensure all network analysis tools remain current with security updates. The incident underscores the critical need for robust memory safety practices in network protocol analysis tools, particularly those handling complex decompression algorithms that process variable-length data streams from potentially untrusted sources.