CVE-2015-8725 in Wireshark
Summary
by MITRE
The dissect_diameter_base_framed_ipv6_prefix function in epan/dissectors/packet-diameter.c in the DIAMETER dissector in Wireshark 1.12.x before 1.12.9 and 2.0.x before 2.0.1 does not validate the IPv6 prefix length, which allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (stack-based buffer overflow and application crash) via a crafted packet.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 12/22/2024
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2015-8725 represents a critical stack-based buffer overflow in Wireshark's DIAMETER protocol dissector, specifically within the dissect_diameter_base_framed_ipv6_prefix function. This flaw exists in Wireshark versions 1.12.x prior to 1.12.9 and 2.0.x prior to 2.0.1, making it a significant threat to network security analysts and forensic investigators who rely on Wireshark for protocol analysis. The vulnerability stems from inadequate input validation where the function fails to properly validate the IPv6 prefix length parameter in DIAMETER packets, creating an exploitable condition that can be leveraged by remote attackers to disrupt network monitoring operations.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability occurs when Wireshark processes DIAMETER packets containing malformed IPv6 prefix length values. The dissect_diameter_base_framed_ipv6_prefix function assumes that the prefix length field contains valid data without proper bounds checking, allowing attackers to craft specially formatted packets with excessive or malformed prefix length values. When Wireshark attempts to process these crafted packets, the insufficient validation causes the application to write beyond the allocated stack buffer space, resulting in memory corruption that ultimately leads to application crash and denial of service. This behavior aligns with CWE-121, which describes stack-based buffer overflow conditions where insufficient bounds checking allows data to overwrite adjacent stack memory locations.
From an operational perspective, this vulnerability presents a severe risk to network security operations centers and forensic analysis environments that depend on Wireshark for network traffic inspection. Attackers can exploit this weakness by sending malicious DIAMETER packets to network monitoring systems running vulnerable versions of Wireshark, causing unexpected application termination and service disruption. The impact extends beyond simple denial of service as the vulnerability could potentially be leveraged in more sophisticated attacks where an attacker might attempt to inject malicious code or manipulate network analysis results. This vulnerability directly affects the availability and reliability of network monitoring tools, which are essential for detecting and responding to security incidents in enterprise and organizational networks.
The exploitation of CVE-2015-8725 aligns with several ATT&CK tactics including TA0005 (Defense Evasion) and TA0009 (Collection) by enabling attackers to disrupt network monitoring capabilities and potentially interfere with security operations. Network defenders who rely on Wireshark for traffic analysis and incident response may find their monitoring tools become unavailable during active attacks, creating blind spots in network security coverage. The vulnerability also represents a significant concern for compliance and audit requirements, as network monitoring disruptions can prevent organizations from maintaining proper security posture documentation and incident response capabilities. Organizations using vulnerable versions of Wireshark should prioritize immediate patching to prevent exploitation and maintain the integrity of their network security monitoring infrastructure.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability require immediate deployment of patched Wireshark versions, specifically 1.12.9 for the 1.12.x series and 2.0.1 for the 2.0.x series. Network administrators should also implement network segmentation and access controls to limit exposure of vulnerable systems to untrusted network traffic. Additional defensive measures include deploying network monitoring systems that can detect and block malformed DIAMETER traffic, implementing intrusion detection systems with signature-based detection for known exploit patterns, and establishing network traffic filtering rules that can prevent malicious packets from reaching vulnerable Wireshark installations. Regular security assessments and vulnerability scanning should be conducted to identify and remediate similar issues in other network analysis tools and protocols.