CVE-2011-1141 in Wireshark
Summary
by MITRE
epan/dissectors/packet-ldap.c in Wireshark 1.0.x, 1.2.0 through 1.2.14, and 1.4.0 through 1.4.3 allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (memory consumption) via (1) a long LDAP filter string or (2) an LDAP filter string containing many elements.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 12/08/2024
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2011-1141 represents a critical denial of service weakness within Wireshark's Lightweight Directory Access Protocol (LDAP) dissector component. This flaw exists in multiple versions of Wireshark spanning the 1.0.x series, 1.2.0 through 1.2.14 releases, and 1.4.0 through 1.4.3 versions, making it a widespread issue affecting a significant portion of the network protocol analysis tool's user base. The vulnerability specifically resides in the packet-ldap.c file which handles the parsing and display of LDAP protocol traffic within the Wireshark network analysis framework.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from insufficient input validation and memory management within the LDAP filter string processing logic. When Wireshark encounters LDAP traffic containing maliciously crafted filter strings, the dissector fails to properly handle excessively long filter sequences or filter strings containing an excessive number of elements. This improper handling causes the application to consume increasing amounts of memory as it attempts to process these malformed inputs, ultimately leading to system resource exhaustion and application instability. The flaw operates by exploiting the lack of bounds checking on filter string length and element count parameters, allowing attackers to craft packets that trigger unbounded memory allocation patterns within the dissector module.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple service disruption, as it can be exploited remotely by attackers who have access to the network traffic being analyzed by the vulnerable Wireshark instance. An attacker can construct specially formatted LDAP packets containing either extremely long filter strings or filter strings with numerous nested elements, then transmit these packets to a target system running the vulnerable Wireshark version. Upon processing these packets, the Wireshark application will consume escalating amounts of memory until the system becomes unresponsive or crashes entirely, effectively preventing legitimate network analysis activities. This vulnerability is particularly concerning in environments where network administrators rely on Wireshark for monitoring and troubleshooting, as it can be leveraged to disrupt critical network operations and security analysis functions.
Organizations and network security professionals should immediately implement mitigation strategies including updating to patched versions of Wireshark, typically version 1.2.15 or 1.4.4, which contain proper input validation and memory management fixes. Additional protective measures include implementing network segmentation and access controls to limit exposure to potentially malicious traffic, deploying intrusion detection systems that can identify and block suspicious LDAP traffic patterns, and establishing monitoring procedures to detect unusual memory consumption patterns in network analysis systems. The vulnerability aligns with CWE-770, which addresses allocation of resources without limits or with inadequate limits, and represents a classic example of resource exhaustion attacks that can be categorized under ATT&CK technique T1499.002 for network denial of service attacks. Organizations should also consider implementing automated patch management processes to ensure timely deployment of security updates and maintain awareness of similar vulnerabilities in other network analysis tools and protocol dissectors.