CVE-2013-4928 in Wireshark
Summary
by MITRE
Integer signedness error in the dissect_headers function in epan/dissectors/packet-btobex.c in the Bluetooth OBEX dissector in Wireshark 1.10.x before 1.10.1 allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (infinite loop) via a crafted packet.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 05/20/2021
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2013-4928 represents a critical integer signedness error within the Bluetooth OBEX dissector component of Wireshark version 1.10.x prior to 1.10.1. This flaw exists in the dissect_headers function located in epan/dissectors/packet-btobex.c, where improper handling of signed and unsigned integer values creates a condition that can be exploited to trigger a denial of service scenario. The issue manifests when processing specially crafted Bluetooth OBEX packets that contain malformed header data, specifically involving integer fields that are not properly validated for signedness during packet dissection operations.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from a fundamental flaw in how the dissector handles integer values when parsing Bluetooth OBEX packet headers. When the dissect_headers function encounters a crafted packet with specific integer field values, the signedness error causes the dissection logic to enter an infinite loop state rather than properly terminating execution. This occurs because unsigned integer values are being interpreted as signed integers in comparison operations, leading to unexpected control flow behavior where loop conditions never properly evaluate to false. The vulnerability specifically affects the packet dissection engine's ability to process malformed header structures, causing Wireshark to become unresponsive and consume excessive CPU resources during the dissection process.
From an operational perspective, this vulnerability presents a significant risk to network monitoring and security analysis operations that rely on Wireshark for packet inspection. Remote attackers can exploit this weakness by simply transmitting a specially crafted Bluetooth OBEX packet to a victim system running an affected version of Wireshark, without requiring any authentication or privileged access. The resulting denial of service condition effectively renders the network analysis tool unusable, potentially interrupting critical security monitoring, forensic analysis, or network troubleshooting activities. The infinite loop condition can persist until the Wireshark process is manually terminated or the system is rebooted, making this vulnerability particularly dangerous in environments where continuous network monitoring is essential for security operations.
The vulnerability aligns with CWE-191, which describes integer underflow and overflow conditions, and more specifically relates to CWE-194, which addresses signed to unsigned conversion errors. This flaw also maps to ATT&CK technique T1499.004, which covers network denial of service attacks, and demonstrates how protocol parsing vulnerabilities can be leveraged to create resource exhaustion conditions. Organizations using Wireshark for network traffic analysis should prioritize immediate patching of affected versions, as the vulnerability can be exploited remotely without any special privileges. The recommended mitigation strategy involves upgrading to Wireshark version 1.10.1 or later, where the integer signedness error has been corrected through proper validation of integer field handling within the Bluetooth OBEX dissector. Additionally, network administrators should consider implementing network segmentation and access controls to limit exposure to potentially malicious packet traffic while awaiting patch deployment.