CVE-2012-2392 in Wireshark
Summary
by MITRE
Wireshark 1.4.x before 1.4.13 and 1.6.x before 1.6.8 allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (infinite loop) via vectors related to the (1) ANSI MAP, (2) ASF, (3) IEEE 802.11, (4) IEEE 802.3, and (5) LTP dissectors.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 11/30/2024
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2012-2392 represents a critical denial of service flaw affecting Wireshark network protocol analyzer versions 1.4.x prior to 1.4.13 and 1.6.x prior to 1.6.8. This vulnerability manifests through multiple dissectors within the network analysis framework, specifically targeting the ANSI MAP, ASF, IEEE 802.11, IEEE 802.3, and LTP protocol parsers. The flaw enables remote attackers to trigger an infinite loop condition that can completely halt the Wireshark application, rendering it incapable of processing network traffic until manually restarted.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from inadequate input validation and error handling within the affected dissectors. When Wireshark encounters specially crafted network packets that conform to the targeted protocols, the dissectors fail to properly terminate their parsing operations, resulting in an infinite loop execution. This behavior directly violates the principle of defensive programming as outlined in CWE-691, which addresses insufficient control flow management in software applications. The infinite loop consumes system resources continuously, effectively causing a denial of service condition that can be exploited remotely without requiring authentication or privileged access.
From an operational perspective, this vulnerability poses significant risks to network monitoring and security operations. Organizations relying on Wireshark for network traffic analysis, intrusion detection, or forensic investigations face potential disruption of their monitoring capabilities. The remote exploitability means that attackers can trigger the denial of service from anywhere on the network, making it particularly dangerous in environments where network traffic is monitored centrally. The vulnerability affects the core functionality of Wireshark, which is widely used by network administrators, security analysts, and penetration testers, potentially compromising their ability to perform essential network security tasks.
The impact extends beyond simple service disruption as it can affect network security operations and incident response capabilities. When Wireshark becomes unresponsive due to the infinite loop, security professionals lose visibility into network traffic, potentially missing critical security events or attacks. This vulnerability aligns with ATT&CK technique T1499.004, which covers network denial of service attacks, and demonstrates how protocol analysis tools can themselves become targets for exploitation. The flaw also represents a weakness in the software development lifecycle, particularly in the areas of input validation and robustness testing, as the dissectors should have been designed to handle malformed or unexpected protocol data gracefully.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability include immediate upgrade to Wireshark versions 1.4.13 or 1.6.8, which contain patches addressing the infinite loop conditions in the affected dissectors. Network administrators should also implement network segmentation and monitoring to detect unusual resource consumption patterns that might indicate exploitation attempts. Additionally, organizations should consider implementing network access controls to limit exposure of Wireshark instances to untrusted networks, while maintaining regular patch management processes to address similar vulnerabilities in other network analysis tools. The vulnerability serves as a reminder of the importance of robust input validation and proper error handling in protocol parsing components, as these elements form the foundation of network security monitoring tools.