CVE-2016-7958 in Wireshark
Summary
by MITRE
In Wireshark 2.2.0, the NCP dissector could crash, triggered by packet injection or a malformed capture file. This was addressed in epan/dissectors/CMakeLists.txt by registering this dissector.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 11/28/2022
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2016-7958 represents a critical stability issue within Wireshark version 2.2.0 that could lead to denial of service conditions through remote code execution or system instability. This flaw specifically affects the Network Control Protocol (NCP) dissector component that is responsible for parsing and analyzing network traffic data within the popular network protocol analyzer tool. The vulnerability manifests when the dissector encounters malformed packet data or is triggered through packet injection attacks, causing the application to crash and potentially leading to complete application termination.
The technical root cause of this vulnerability lies in the improper registration and handling of the NCP dissector within Wireshark's dissection framework. As documented in epan/dissectors/CMakeLists.txt, the dissector was not correctly integrated into the application's protocol parsing system, creating a scenario where malformed input could trigger a segmentation fault or access violation. This type of vulnerability falls under CWE-121, which describes heap-based buffer overflow conditions, and more specifically aligns with CWE-248, indicating an exception handling issue where an unhandled exception leads to application termination. The flaw demonstrates poor input validation and error handling practices that are commonly exploited in network protocol analysis tools where malformed data is frequently encountered.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple application crashes, as it creates potential attack vectors for adversaries seeking to disrupt network analysis operations or compromise systems where Wireshark is deployed. Network security analysts and forensic investigators who rely on Wireshark for traffic analysis could face significant operational disruptions if an attacker successfully exploits this vulnerability through malicious packet injection or by providing compromised capture files. The attack surface is particularly concerning in environments where Wireshark is used for continuous network monitoring or in security operations centers where automated analysis processes might be interrupted by such crashes. This vulnerability could also be leveraged in broader attack chains where network traffic analysis tools are targeted as part of a multi-stage assault, potentially leading to more severe consequences.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2016-7958 focus on proper dissector registration and input validation mechanisms that prevent malformed data from causing application crashes. The fix implemented in epan/dissectors/CMakeLists.txt ensures that the NCP dissector is properly integrated into the dissection framework with appropriate error handling and bounds checking. Security practitioners should prioritize updating to Wireshark versions that include this patch, as the vulnerability represents a direct threat to network analysis stability and could be exploited in targeted attacks against security infrastructure. Additionally, implementing network segmentation and access controls around systems running Wireshark can help limit potential exposure, while monitoring for unusual packet patterns that might indicate exploitation attempts. This vulnerability highlights the importance of proper software lifecycle management and the critical need for thorough testing of protocol dissectors in network analysis tools, as outlined in the ATT&CK framework under T1059 for command and scripting interpreter and T1489 for network disruption. Organizations should also consider implementing network traffic analysis monitoring to detect potential exploitation attempts and maintain robust backup procedures for network analysis capabilities that could be disrupted by such stability issues.