CVE-2017-11407 in Wireshark
Summary
by MITRE
In Wireshark 2.2.0 to 2.2.7 and 2.0.0 to 2.0.13, the MQ dissector could crash. This was addressed in epan/dissectors/packet-mq.c by validating the fragment length before a reassembly attempt.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 12/13/2022
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2017-11407 represents a critical denial of service flaw within Wireshark's MQ dissector component. This issue affected versions ranging from 2.2.0 through 2.2.7 and 2.0.0 through 2.0.13, creating a significant risk for network analysis operations that rely on proper packet dissection. The flaw manifested as a potential crash condition that could be triggered during the processing of malformed MQ protocol traffic, specifically when the dissector attempted to handle fragment reassembly operations.
The technical root cause of this vulnerability lies in insufficient input validation within the packet-mq.c file, where the dissector failed to properly validate fragment length parameters before initiating reassembly processes. This validation gap created an exploitable condition where maliciously crafted MQ protocol packets could cause the dissector to attempt operations on invalid memory regions or perform calculations with unexpected values. The vulnerability aligns with CWE-129, which addresses improper validation of array indices and other inputs, and specifically demonstrates how inadequate bounds checking can lead to memory corruption scenarios during protocol parsing operations.
When exploited, this vulnerability could result in complete application crashes, forcing network analysts to restart Wireshark and potentially lose ongoing capture sessions. The operational impact extends beyond simple service disruption, as network security professionals depend on stable packet analysis tools for critical infrastructure monitoring and incident response activities. The crash condition typically occurred during live captures or when processing previously saved captures containing malformed MQ traffic, making it particularly dangerous in production network monitoring environments.
The remediation implemented by the Wireshark development team involved adding explicit validation checks for fragment length parameters before any reassembly attempts were made. This fix directly addresses the underlying cause by ensuring that all fragment length values are properly validated against expected ranges and boundaries before proceeding with memory allocation or processing operations. The solution follows established best practices for defensive programming and aligns with ATT&CK technique T1494, which covers network denial of service attacks, by implementing proper input validation to prevent malformed data from causing application instability. Organizations should prioritize updating to patched versions of Wireshark to mitigate this vulnerability, as the fix represents a fundamental improvement in the dissector's robustness against malformed input conditions that could otherwise be exploited in targeted attacks against network analysis infrastructure.