CVE-2015-6246 in Wireshark
Summary
by MITRE
The dissect_wa_payload function in epan/dissectors/packet-waveagent.c in the WaveAgent dissector in Wireshark 1.12.x before 1.12.7 mishandles large tag values, 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 • 06/13/2022
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2015-6246 resides within the WaveAgent dissector component of Wireshark, specifically in the dissect_wa_payload function located at epan/dissectors/packet-waveagent.c. This issue affects Wireshark versions 1.12.x prior to 1.12.7, representing a critical denial of service flaw that can be exploited remotely through crafted network packets. The vulnerability stems from improper handling of large tag values during packet analysis, creating a condition where maliciously constructed packets can trigger application instability.
The technical flaw manifests when the dissect_wa_payload function processes tag values that exceed expected size parameters. This improper input validation leads to memory corruption or buffer overflow conditions that cause the Wireshark application to crash abruptly. The vulnerability operates at the protocol dissector level, meaning it affects how Wireshark interprets and displays network traffic data, making it particularly dangerous in forensic analysis and network monitoring scenarios where analysts rely on stable packet inspection capabilities. The flaw represents a classic case of insufficient bounds checking and input sanitization, allowing attacker-controlled data to bypass normal validation mechanisms.
From an operational perspective, this vulnerability poses significant risks to network security operations and forensic analysis environments. When exploited, it can cause complete application crashes, forcing analysts to restart Wireshark and potentially lose valuable packet capture data. The remote exploitation capability means that adversaries can trigger these crashes without requiring physical access to the system, making it particularly dangerous in network monitoring environments where Wireshark is deployed to analyze traffic from multiple sources. This type of denial of service attack directly impacts the availability of network analysis tools that security professionals depend upon for threat detection and incident response activities.
The vulnerability aligns with CWE-129, which addresses improper validation of array index values, and can be mapped to ATT&CK technique T1499.004, which covers network denial of service attacks. Organizations using Wireshark for network monitoring, incident response, and security analysis should prioritize immediate patching to version 1.12.7 or later, as this update contains the necessary fixes to properly validate tag values and prevent the memory corruption conditions that lead to application crashes. Additionally, network administrators should consider implementing network segmentation and access controls to limit exposure to potentially malicious traffic that could trigger this vulnerability during routine packet analysis activities.