CVE-2013-3561 in Wireshark
Summary
by MITRE
Multiple integer overflows in Wireshark 1.8.x before 1.8.7 allow remote attackers to cause a denial of service (loop or application crash) via a malformed packet, related to a crash of the Websocket dissector, an infinite loop in the MySQL dissector, and a large loop in the ETCH dissector.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 01/03/2022
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2013-3561 represents a critical security flaw affecting Wireshark versions 1.8.x prior to 1.8.7, specifically targeting multiple dissector components within the network protocol analysis tool. This vulnerability stems from integer overflow conditions that occur when processing malformed network packets, creating opportunities for remote attackers to disrupt the normal operation of the application through carefully crafted malicious traffic. The flaw manifests across three distinct dissector modules, each presenting unique attack vectors that can lead to system instability and service disruption.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability involves three separate integer overflow scenarios that exploit different protocol parsing components within Wireshark's dissectors. The Websocket dissector suffers from a crash condition that occurs when processing malformed WebSocket frames, leading to immediate application termination. The MySQL dissector contains an infinite loop vulnerability triggered by malformed MySQL protocol packets, causing the application to enter an endless processing cycle that consumes system resources. Additionally, the ETCH dissector exhibits a large loop condition when handling malformed ETCH protocol data, resulting in extended processing times that can effectively exhaust system capabilities. These integer overflows occur when the application attempts to allocate memory or perform loop iterations based on values derived from malformed packet headers that exceed the maximum representable integer values.
The operational impact of CVE-2013-3561 extends beyond simple denial of service conditions, as the vulnerability can be exploited remotely without requiring authentication or special privileges from attackers. When exploited, these flaws can cause complete application crashes, system resource exhaustion, or extended periods of unresponsiveness that effectively render the network monitoring capabilities useless. Network administrators who rely on Wireshark for traffic analysis and troubleshooting face significant operational risks, as attackers can potentially disrupt critical network monitoring operations, especially in environments where continuous traffic analysis is essential for security operations. The vulnerability's remote exploitability makes it particularly dangerous in network environments where Wireshark is used for live packet capture and analysis, as attackers can target monitoring systems from external networks.
From a cybersecurity framework perspective, this vulnerability maps to CWE-190, which specifically addresses integer overflow conditions, and aligns with ATT&CK technique T1498, focusing on network denial of service attacks. The vulnerability demonstrates the critical importance of proper input validation and robust error handling in network protocol analysis tools, as these applications must be capable of handling malformed traffic without compromising system stability. Organizations should prioritize immediate patching of affected Wireshark installations to prevent exploitation, while also implementing network segmentation and monitoring to detect potential exploitation attempts. The vulnerability highlights the need for comprehensive security testing of protocol dissector implementations and emphasizes the importance of maintaining up-to-date software versions to protect against known security flaws that could be leveraged by threat actors for network disruption or reconnaissance activities.