CVE-2013-2480 in Wireshark
Summary
by MITRE
The RTPS and RTPS2 dissectors in Wireshark 1.6.x before 1.6.14 and 1.8.x before 1.8.6 allow remote attackers to cause a denial of service (application crash) via a malformed packet.
If you want to get the best quality for vulnerability data then you always have to consider VulDB.
Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 05/06/2021
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2013-2480 affects Wireshark network protocol dissectors specifically targeting the Real-Time Publish/Subscribe Protocol (RTPS) and RTPS2 protocols. This issue represents a classic buffer overflow condition that occurs when Wireshark processes malformed network packets containing invalid RTPS data structures. The flaw exists in the dissector code responsible for parsing and interpreting RTPS protocol messages, which are commonly used in industrial automation systems, automotive networks, and real-time communication environments. The vulnerability impacts Wireshark versions 1.6.x prior to 1.6.14 and 1.8.x prior to 1.8.6, making it a significant concern for network security professionals who rely on Wireshark for protocol analysis and network troubleshooting.
The technical exploitation of this vulnerability occurs when a malicious actor sends specially crafted RTPS packets to a system running an affected version of Wireshark. These malformed packets contain invalid data structures that cause the dissector to attempt memory operations beyond allocated buffers, leading to memory corruption and ultimately application crash. The root cause aligns with CWE-121, which describes heap-based buffer overflow conditions, and CWE-125, which covers out-of-bounds read vulnerabilities. When the dissector encounters these malformed packets, it fails to properly validate input data before processing, resulting in unpredictable memory access patterns that cause the application to terminate unexpectedly. This behavior represents a denial of service attack vector that can be exploited remotely without requiring authentication or specialized privileges.
The operational impact of CVE-2013-2480 extends beyond simple application instability, as it can significantly disrupt network monitoring and security analysis operations. Network security teams who depend on Wireshark for real-time traffic analysis, incident response, and protocol debugging may find their investigative capabilities compromised when attackers exploit this vulnerability. The remote nature of the attack means that adversaries can target any system running vulnerable Wireshark versions without physical access or network privileges, making it particularly dangerous in enterprise environments where network monitoring tools are widely deployed. In industrial control systems and automotive networks that utilize RTPS protocols, this vulnerability could potentially be leveraged to disrupt critical communication channels, though the primary impact remains application-level denial of service rather than direct system compromise.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability primarily involve upgrading to patched versions of Wireshark, specifically versions 1.6.14 or 1.8.6 and later. Organizations should implement immediate patch management procedures to ensure all systems running affected Wireshark versions are updated promptly. Network administrators should also consider implementing network segmentation and access controls to limit exposure to potentially malicious traffic. From a defensive perspective, this vulnerability aligns with ATT&CK technique T1499.002, which describes network disruption attacks, and represents a common pattern of protocol parsing vulnerabilities that attackers frequently exploit in network security tools. Additional defensive measures include implementing network-based intrusion detection systems that can identify and block malformed RTPS traffic patterns, as well as establishing monitoring procedures to detect application crashes or unexpected restarts in network analysis systems.