CVE-2014-2907 in Wireshark
Summary
by MITRE
The srtp_add_address function in epan/dissectors/packet-rtp.c in the RTP dissector in Wireshark 1.10.x before 1.10.7 does not properly update SRTP conversation data, which allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (application crash) via a crafted packet.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 05/11/2026
The vulnerability described in CVE-2014-2907 affects the RTP dissector component within Wireshark version 1.10.x prior to 1.10.7, specifically within the epan/dissectors/packet-rtp.c file. This issue resides in the srtp_add_address function which is responsible for managing SRTP (Secure Real-time Transport Protocol) conversation data during packet analysis. The flaw represents a classic buffer management error where the application fails to properly update critical conversation state information when processing SRTP packets. This type of vulnerability falls under the broader category of improper handling of data structures and can be classified as a CWE-121, which deals with stack-based buffer overflow conditions, though the specific manifestation here involves data structure corruption rather than traditional stack overflow.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability occurs when Wireshark processes RTP packets that contain SRTP encryption information. During normal operation, the srtp_add_address function should maintain accurate tracking of SRTP conversation contexts to ensure proper decryption and analysis of subsequent packets. However, due to the improper update mechanism, when attackers craft malicious packets containing specifically formatted SRTP headers, the application's internal data structures become corrupted. This corruption leads to memory access violations and ultimately causes the Wireshark application to crash, resulting in a denial of service condition that prevents legitimate network analysis operations from continuing.
From an operational impact perspective, this vulnerability poses significant risks to network security analysts and forensic investigators who rely on Wireshark for network traffic analysis. The remote nature of the attack means that adversaries can trigger the denial of service condition without requiring local access to the system, making it particularly dangerous in environments where network monitoring tools are deployed. The vulnerability affects the core functionality of Wireshark's RTP dissector, which is essential for analyzing real-time communication protocols including VoIP traffic, video streaming, and other multimedia applications. This makes the impact more severe as it can disrupt critical network monitoring activities and potentially hide malicious network activity from detection.
The vulnerability demonstrates characteristics aligned with ATT&CK technique T1498, which involves data destruction and denial of service attacks against applications. Network security professionals utilizing Wireshark for packet analysis and incident response would face operational disruption when this vulnerability is exploited, potentially compromising their ability to perform critical forensic analysis during security incidents. The flaw also represents a failure in input validation and state management, where the application does not properly validate the integrity of SRTP packet headers before updating its internal conversation tracking structures. This type of vulnerability is particularly concerning in enterprise environments where network analysis tools are used for security monitoring and compliance auditing, as it could be leveraged to disrupt network operations or mask malicious activities.
Organizations should implement immediate mitigations including upgrading to Wireshark version 1.10.7 or later, which contains the necessary patches to address the SRTP conversation data update issue. Additionally, network administrators should consider implementing network segmentation and access controls to limit exposure to potentially malicious packet streams. The vulnerability highlights the importance of maintaining up-to-date network analysis tools and demonstrates how seemingly minor flaws in protocol parsing can have significant operational impacts. Security teams should also consider implementing network monitoring solutions that can detect unusual packet patterns that might indicate exploitation attempts, while maintaining regular patch management procedures to ensure all network analysis tools remain protected against known vulnerabilities.