CVE-2015-8724 in Wireshark
Summary
by MITRE
The AirPDcapDecryptWPABroadcastKey function in epan/crypt/airpdcap.c in the 802.11 dissector in Wireshark 1.12.x before 1.12.9 and 2.0.x before 2.0.1 does not verify the WPA broadcast key length, which allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (out-of-bounds read and application crash) via a crafted packet.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 12/22/2024
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2015-8724 resides within the AirPDcapDecryptWPABroadcastKey function in Wireshark's 802.11 dissector component, specifically affecting versions 1.12.x prior to 1.12.9 and 2.0.x prior to 2.0.1. This flaw represents a critical security issue that demonstrates the dangers of insufficient input validation in network protocol analysis tools. The vulnerability stems from the function's failure to properly validate the length of the WPA broadcast key, creating a scenario where maliciously crafted packets can trigger unexpected behavior in the application.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability involves an out-of-bounds read condition that occurs when the dissector processes wireless packets containing WPA broadcast keys. Without proper length verification, the function attempts to access memory locations beyond the allocated buffer boundaries when handling malformed packet data. This memory access violation manifests as an application crash, effectively enabling a denial of service attack against systems running vulnerable versions of Wireshark. The flaw operates at the protocol decoding layer where network traffic is parsed and analyzed, making it particularly dangerous as it can be triggered simply by capturing and analyzing specific wireless traffic.
From an operational perspective, this vulnerability presents significant risks to network security professionals who rely on Wireshark for network analysis and troubleshooting. An attacker capable of crafting malicious wireless packets can remotely trigger application crashes on any system running vulnerable Wireshark versions, potentially disrupting network monitoring operations or causing system instability. The attack vector requires only the ability to capture specific wireless traffic, making it particularly dangerous in environments where wireless network monitoring is active. This vulnerability directly impacts the availability of network analysis tools and can be exploited in scenarios where network administrators might be analyzing suspicious traffic, creating a potential attack surface that could be leveraged for more sophisticated attacks.
The vulnerability maps to CWE-129, which describes improper validation of array index, and aligns with ATT&CK technique T1046 for network service scanning and T1499 for network denial of service. Organizations using Wireshark for wireless network analysis should prioritize immediate patching to address this vulnerability, as it represents a fundamental flaw in input validation that can be exploited remotely without requiring elevated privileges. The security implications extend beyond simple application crashes, as this vulnerability could potentially be chained with other exploits or used as a precursor to more advanced attacks targeting network infrastructure. Network security teams should implement monitoring for unusual application behavior and ensure all network analysis tools remain updated to prevent exploitation of this and similar vulnerabilities that could compromise network monitoring capabilities.