CVE-2011-1138 in Wireshark
Summary
by MITRE
Off-by-one error in the dissect_6lowpan_iphc function in packet-6lowpan.c in Wireshark 1.4.0 through 1.4.3 on 32-bit platforms allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (application crash) via a malformed 6LoWPAN IPv6 packet.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 02/02/2025
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2011-1138 represents a critical off-by-one error within Wireshark's 6LoWPAN protocol dissector, specifically in the dissect_6lowpan_iphc function located in packet-6lowpan.c. This flaw affects versions 1.4.0 through 1.4.3 of Wireshark and is particularly impactful on 32-bit platforms where memory addressing constraints amplify the vulnerability's exploitable nature. The 6LoWPAN protocol dissector is responsible for analyzing and interpreting IPv6 packets that have been compressed using the 6LoWPAN compression format, which is commonly used in low-power wireless networks such as those found in IoT devices and sensor networks. The vulnerability stems from improper boundary checking during the parsing of IPv6 packet headers, where the dissector fails to properly validate the length of compressed packet fields against available buffer space.
The technical execution of this vulnerability involves a remote attacker sending a specially crafted malformed 6LoWPAN IPv6 packet to a victim who is running the affected Wireshark version and has the packet capture loaded for analysis. When Wireshark attempts to dissect this malformed packet, the off-by-one error causes the dissector to read beyond the allocated memory boundaries, leading to undefined behavior that ultimately results in an application crash. This denial of service condition occurs because the buffer overflow corrupts memory structures used by the dissector, causing the application to terminate unexpectedly. The vulnerability is particularly concerning in network monitoring scenarios where Wireshark is used to analyze traffic from potentially malicious sources, as it can be exploited without requiring any special privileges or authentication from the attacker.
The operational impact of CVE-2011-1138 extends beyond simple service disruption, as it can be leveraged in broader attack scenarios targeting network infrastructure. Network administrators and security professionals who rely on Wireshark for traffic analysis and incident response may find their monitoring capabilities compromised, potentially leading to missed security events or delayed response times. The vulnerability aligns with CWE-129, which describes improper validation of the length of input buffers, and can be categorized under ATT&CK technique T1070.004 for "Indicator Removal on Host: File Deletion" in cases where the crash might be used to obscure malicious activity. The 32-bit platform limitation means that systems running on older hardware or embedded systems with limited memory management capabilities are particularly vulnerable, as these architectures have more constrained memory layouts that make buffer overflows more likely to cause application termination.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2011-1138 primarily involve immediate patching of affected Wireshark installations to versions 1.4.4 or later, where the off-by-one error has been corrected through proper input validation and boundary checking. Network administrators should also implement network segmentation and access controls to limit exposure to potentially malicious traffic, while monitoring for unusual packet patterns that might indicate exploitation attempts. Additionally, organizations should consider implementing network-based intrusion detection systems that can identify and block malformed 6LoWPAN traffic, and maintain regular updates of all network analysis tools to prevent similar vulnerabilities from affecting their security infrastructure. The vulnerability underscores the importance of thorough input validation in protocol dissectors and highlights the need for comprehensive security testing of network analysis tools that process untrusted data from network traffic.