CVE-2013-2482 in Wireshark
Summary
by MITRE
The AMPQ dissector in Wireshark 1.6.x before 1.6.14 and 1.8.x before 1.8.6 allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (infinite loop) via a malformed packet.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 05/06/2021
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2013-2482 represents a critical denial of service flaw within Wireshark's Advanced Message Queuing Protocol dissector. This issue affects versions 1.6.x prior to 1.6.14 and 1.8.x prior to 1.8.6, creating a significant risk for network security professionals who rely on Wireshark for protocol analysis and troubleshooting. The flaw manifests when the AMPQ dissector encounters malformed packets that trigger an infinite loop condition, effectively rendering the network analysis tool unresponsive and unable to process additional network traffic.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from inadequate input validation within the AMPQ protocol dissector component of Wireshark. When processing malformed AMPQ packets, the dissector fails to properly handle malformed data structures or unexpected packet formats, causing the parsing logic to enter an infinite loop. This occurs because the dissector's parsing algorithm does not include proper boundary checks or termination conditions for malformed input data, allowing malicious actors to craft specific packet sequences that perpetually trigger the same parsing routine without advancing the processing state. The vulnerability specifically targets the dissector's handling of AMPQ protocol elements, where the protocol's message structure and encoding rules are not properly validated against expected formats.
The operational impact of CVE-2013-2482 extends beyond simple service disruption to potentially compromise network monitoring operations and security analysis capabilities. Network administrators and security analysts who depend on Wireshark for real-time network traffic analysis face significant operational risks when this vulnerability is exploited. The infinite loop condition causes Wireshark to consume excessive CPU resources and become unresponsive, effectively preventing network troubleshooting activities, security incident response, and protocol analysis tasks. This denial of service condition can be particularly damaging in environments where continuous network monitoring is required for security operations, as it creates a window where network visibility is completely lost, potentially masking other security threats or network issues.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2013-2482 primarily focus on immediate version updates and network monitoring adjustments. The most effective approach involves upgrading to Wireshark versions 1.6.14 or 1.8.6, which contain patches addressing the malformed packet handling issue. Organizations should implement comprehensive patch management procedures to ensure all instances of Wireshark across their network infrastructure are updated promptly. Additionally, network security teams should consider implementing network segmentation and monitoring controls to detect and isolate potentially malicious traffic patterns that could exploit this vulnerability. The vulnerability aligns with CWE-121, which addresses stack-based buffer overflow conditions, and demonstrates characteristics consistent with ATT&CK technique T1499.001, which covers network denial of service attacks. Security professionals should also consider implementing network access controls and rate limiting to prevent exploitation of this vulnerability while patches are being deployed.
The broader implications of this vulnerability highlight the critical importance of input validation and robust error handling in network security tools. This flaw demonstrates how protocol dissector implementations can become attack vectors when proper boundary checking and input sanitization are omitted from the codebase. The vulnerability serves as a reminder that network analysis tools, which are often considered essential for security operations, must maintain robust defensive mechanisms against malformed input that could compromise their availability and functionality. Organizations should maintain regular security assessments of their network monitoring tools and implement defensive measures such as automated patching, intrusion detection systems, and network behavior monitoring to detect anomalous patterns that may indicate exploitation attempts.