CVE-2017-15190 in Wireshark
Summary
by MITRE
In Wireshark 2.4.0 to 2.4.1, the RTSP dissector could crash. This was addressed in epan/dissectors/packet-rtsp.c by correcting the scope of a variable.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 01/03/2023
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2017-15190 represents a critical denial of service flaw within Wireshark's Real Time Streaming Protocol dissector implementation. This issue affected versions 2.4.0 through 2.4.1 of the popular network protocol analyzer, where improper handling of certain RTSP packet structures could lead to application instability and complete crash conditions. The vulnerability specifically manifested in the epan/dissectors/packet-rtsp.c file, which serves as the core dissector module responsible for parsing and interpreting RTSP protocol traffic within the Wireshark framework. The flaw exploited a variable scoping issue that occurred when processing malformed or specially crafted RTSP packets, causing the dissector to enter an undefined state that ultimately resulted in the application terminating unexpectedly.
The technical nature of this vulnerability aligns with CWE-248, which addresses "Uncaught Exception" conditions in software implementations, and demonstrates how improper variable scope management can create exploitable conditions within protocol dissectors. When Wireshark encountered specific RTSP packet sequences that triggered the variable scope error, the application would crash rather than gracefully handling the malformed data, leading to a denial of service condition that could prevent network analysis operations. This type of vulnerability is particularly dangerous in network forensic environments where continuous packet capture and analysis are essential for security monitoring and incident response activities. The RTSP protocol dissector's failure to properly validate input parameters before variable assignment created a path for malicious actors to craft specific packet payloads that would cause the dissector to malfunction.
From an operational perspective, this vulnerability presented significant risks to network security teams who rely on Wireshark for critical monitoring tasks. The crash condition could occur during routine packet analysis or when processing network traffic containing maliciously crafted RTSP data, potentially disrupting ongoing security investigations or network troubleshooting activities. The impact extends beyond simple service disruption as it could affect the integrity of network analysis workflows, forcing security analysts to restart analysis sessions and potentially lose valuable temporal context in their investigations. Network administrators and security professionals using Wireshark in production environments faced the risk of unexpected application termination during critical network events, which could mask legitimate security incidents or prevent timely response to actual threats.
The remediation for CVE-2017-15190 involved correcting the variable scope within the RTSP dissector implementation to ensure proper memory management and input validation. This fix addressed the underlying cause by ensuring that variables were properly scoped and initialized before being accessed during packet processing, preventing the undefined behavior that led to application crashes. The solution aligns with ATT&CK technique T1499.001, which covers "Fragging" and similar denial of service methods, by providing a defensive mechanism against protocol-based service disruption attacks. Organizations should prioritize updating to Wireshark versions that include this fix, as the vulnerability represents a fundamental flaw in the application's ability to handle network protocol data safely. The resolution demonstrates the importance of proper software quality assurance practices in security tools, where protocol dissectors must be robust against malformed inputs to maintain system availability and prevent exploitation by adversaries seeking to disrupt network monitoring capabilities.