CVE-2015-0562 in Wireshark
Summary
by MITRE
Multiple use-after-free vulnerabilities in epan/dissectors/packet-dec-dnart.c in the DEC DNA Routing Protocol dissector in Wireshark 1.10.x before 1.10.12 and 1.12.x before 1.12.3 allow remote attackers to cause a denial of service (application crash) via a crafted packet, related to the use of packet-scope memory instead of pinfo-scope memory.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 03/02/2022
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2015-0562 represents a critical use-after-free condition affecting Wireshark's DEC DNA Routing Protocol dissector. This flaw exists within the epan/dissectors/packet-dec-dnart.c file and impacts versions 1.10.x prior to 1.10.12 and 1.12.x prior to 1.12.3. The issue stems from improper memory management practices where packet-scope memory is utilized instead of the appropriate pinfo-scope memory context during protocol analysis operations. Such memory handling errors create exploitable conditions that can be leveraged by remote attackers to disrupt normal application functionality.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability involves the dissector's handling of memory allocation and deallocation patterns specific to the DEC DNA Routing Protocol parsing logic. When processing malformed or crafted packets, the dissector fails to properly manage memory references, leading to situations where freed memory locations are accessed after being deallocated. This particular memory management flaw falls under the CWE-416 category of use-after-free vulnerabilities, which represents one of the most prevalent and dangerous classes of memory safety issues in network analysis tools. The improper memory scope usage creates a scenario where packet data structures reference memory that has already been freed, resulting in unpredictable behavior and application instability.
From an operational perspective, this vulnerability enables remote attackers to execute denial of service attacks against Wireshark installations by simply transmitting specially crafted DEC DNA Routing Protocol packets to the target system. The impact manifests as application crashes and complete service disruption, effectively preventing network analysts from performing their monitoring and troubleshooting activities. This vulnerability is particularly concerning in network security operations centers where Wireshark serves as a critical diagnostic tool for network traffic analysis and incident response activities. The remote nature of the exploit means that attackers can compromise systems without requiring local access or authentication, making this vulnerability highly attractive for malicious actors targeting network security infrastructure.
The attack vector for this vulnerability aligns with the ATT&CK framework's technique T1059 for command and control communications, where network analysis tools become targets for disruption. The vulnerability's exploitation requires minimal technical expertise and can be automated, making it particularly dangerous in enterprise environments where network monitoring tools are extensively deployed. Organizations utilizing Wireshark for network security monitoring face significant risk exposure, as the tool's crash could interrupt critical network visibility capabilities and potentially mask other underlying security issues. The use of packet-scope memory instead of pinfo-scope memory represents a fundamental flaw in the dissector's architecture that directly violates proper memory management practices recommended in industry security standards.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2015-0562 primarily involve immediate patching of affected Wireshark installations to versions 1.10.12 or 1.12.3 and later, which contain the necessary memory management fixes. Network administrators should implement network segmentation and access controls to limit exposure of vulnerable Wireshark instances to untrusted networks. Additionally, organizations should consider implementing network monitoring solutions that can detect and alert on malformed protocol traffic patterns that may indicate exploitation attempts. Regular security assessments and vulnerability scanning should be conducted to identify other potentially vulnerable network analysis tools within the infrastructure. The fix addresses the core memory management issue by ensuring proper scope handling for memory allocations within the dissector, preventing the use-after-free conditions that lead to application crashes.