CVE-2013-2475 in Wireshark
Summary
by MITRE
The TCP dissector in Wireshark 1.8.x before 1.8.6 allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (application crash) via a malformed packet.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 05/06/2021
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2013-2475 represents a critical denial of service flaw within Wireshark's TCP dissector component, affecting versions 1.8.x prior to 1.8.6. This issue resides in the network protocol analysis tool's ability to parse and interpret TCP packets, specifically when encountering malformed or crafted packets that exploit parsing logic errors. The vulnerability demonstrates how protocol dissector implementations can become attack vectors when proper input validation and error handling mechanisms are absent or insufficient.
The technical flaw manifests when the TCP dissector processes malformed packets that contain invalid or unexpected data structures within the TCP header or payload. These malformed packets trigger memory access violations or buffer overflow conditions within the dissector's parsing logic, causing the Wireshark application to crash and terminate unexpectedly. The vulnerability is particularly dangerous because it can be exploited remotely through network traffic capture, making it a significant threat to network monitoring and forensic analysis operations that rely on Wireshark for packet inspection.
From an operational impact perspective, this vulnerability undermines the reliability and availability of network analysis tools in security operations centers and forensic environments. When exploited, the denial of service condition renders Wireshark unusable during critical network troubleshooting or security incident response activities, potentially causing delays in identifying and mitigating network threats. The vulnerability also affects automated network monitoring systems that depend on continuous packet capture and analysis, as a single malicious packet can disrupt the entire monitoring infrastructure.
The flaw aligns with CWE-121, which describes heap-based buffer overflow conditions, and demonstrates how improper handling of network protocol data can lead to application instability. From an ATT&CK framework perspective, this vulnerability maps to the T1046 technique for network service scanning and T1498 for network denial of service, as it enables adversaries to disrupt network monitoring capabilities and potentially mask their malicious activities. Organizations using Wireshark for network security analysis should prioritize patching this vulnerability to maintain operational continuity and prevent potential exploitation that could compromise network visibility.
Mitigation strategies include immediate deployment of Wireshark version 1.8.6 or later, which contains the necessary code fixes and input validation improvements. Network administrators should also implement network segmentation and monitoring to detect unusual packet patterns that might indicate exploitation attempts. Additionally, organizations should consider implementing intrusion detection systems that can identify malformed TCP packets and automatically isolate suspicious traffic to prevent exploitation of this vulnerability in production environments.