CVE-2015-8713 in Wireshark
Summary
by MITRE
epan/dissectors/packet-umts_fp.c in the UMTS FP dissector in Wireshark 1.12.x before 1.12.9 does not properly reserve memory for channel ID mappings, which allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (out-of-bounds memory access and application crash) via a crafted packet.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 07/02/2022
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2015-8713 resides within the UMTS FP dissector component of Wireshark, specifically in the packet-umts_fp.c file. This flaw affects Wireshark versions 1.12.x prior to 1.12.9, representing a critical memory management issue that can be exploited remotely to disrupt the normal operation of the network protocol analyzer. The UMTS FP dissector is responsible for analyzing UMTS (Universal Mobile Telecommunications System) Fast Packet data, which is commonly used in 3G mobile networks to provide high-speed data transmission services.
The technical root cause of this vulnerability stems from improper memory reservation practices within the channel ID mapping functionality of the dissector. When processing specially crafted network packets that contain malformed UMTS FP data, the dissector fails to allocate sufficient memory buffers to accommodate the expected channel ID mappings. This memory reservation deficiency creates a scenario where the application attempts to access memory locations beyond the allocated boundaries, leading to out-of-bounds memory access conditions. The flaw manifests as a classic buffer overflow condition that occurs during packet processing rather than during memory allocation itself, making it particularly challenging to detect and prevent through conventional means.
The operational impact of this vulnerability is significant as it enables remote attackers to execute a denial of service attack against Wireshark installations. When a maliciously crafted packet is processed by the affected dissector, the application experiences out-of-bounds memory access errors that inevitably lead to application crashes and subsequent service disruption. This vulnerability is particularly concerning in network monitoring environments where Wireshark is deployed to analyze live traffic, as attackers could potentially disrupt network analysis operations, interfere with security monitoring activities, or cause complete system outages during critical network events. The remote exploitability aspect means that an attacker does not require local access to the system to cause the disruption, making it a serious concern for network administrators and security professionals who rely on Wireshark for network troubleshooting and security analysis.
This vulnerability aligns with CWE-121, which describes "Stack-based Buffer Overflow" conditions, and represents a specific implementation flaw where insufficient memory reservation leads to memory corruption during packet processing. From an ATT&CK framework perspective, this vulnerability maps to T1059.007 for Command and Scripting Interpreter: Python, though in this case the attack vector is through network packet manipulation rather than command execution, and T1499.004 for Network Denial of Service. The vulnerability demonstrates how protocol analysis tools can become attack vectors themselves when they fail to properly validate input data, highlighting the importance of robust memory management in network security tools. The remediation approach for this vulnerability involves updating to Wireshark version 1.12.9 or later, where proper memory reservation mechanisms have been implemented to prevent the out-of-bounds access conditions that previously led to application crashes. Network security professionals should prioritize patching affected systems and implementing additional monitoring to detect potential exploitation attempts against this vulnerability.