CVE-2018-9262 in Wireshark
Summary
by MITRE
In Wireshark 2.4.0 to 2.4.5 and 2.2.0 to 2.2.13, the VLAN dissector could crash. This was addressed in epan/dissectors/packet-vlan.c by limiting VLAN tag nesting to restrict the recursion depth.
If you want to get best quality of vulnerability data, you may have to visit VulDB.
Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 02/26/2023
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2018-9262 affects Wireshark versions 2.4.0 through 2.4.5 and 2.2.0 through 2.2.13, representing a critical issue within the network protocol analysis tool's VLAN dissector component. This flaw manifests as a denial of service condition that can cause Wireshark to crash when processing specially crafted network packets containing malformed VLAN tags. The vulnerability specifically targets the packet dissection functionality that interprets virtual local area network tagging structures used in network communications. The issue stems from insufficient input validation and lack of recursion depth limitations within the VLAN dissector implementation, creating a scenario where maliciously constructed packets can trigger an infinite recursion loop during packet analysis.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability resides in the epan/dissectors/packet-vlan.c file where the VLAN dissector processes network packets containing virtual local area network tags. When Wireshark encounters a packet with nested VLAN tags exceeding the system's recursion limits, the dissector enters an infinite loop that consumes system resources and ultimately results in application crash. This represents a classic stack overflow condition that occurs when the dissector recursively processes VLAN tags without proper depth checking mechanisms. The flaw allows an attacker to craft packets with excessive VLAN tag nesting that causes the application to exhaust available stack memory and terminate unexpectedly. This vulnerability directly maps to CWE-674, which describes "Uncontrolled Recursion" in software systems, and aligns with ATT&CK technique T1499.004 for "Endpoint Denial of Service" through resource exhaustion attacks.
The operational impact of CVE-2018-9262 extends beyond simple application instability, as it can severely disrupt network analysis operations for security professionals and network administrators who rely on Wireshark for protocol examination. When exploited, this vulnerability can cause complete application termination, forcing analysts to restart their monitoring sessions and potentially lose valuable packet capture data. The crash condition makes Wireshark unreliable for security assessments, forensic investigations, and network troubleshooting activities where continuous monitoring is essential. Organizations using Wireshark for network security operations may experience service interruptions during critical incidents, potentially compromising their ability to respond to network anomalies or security events. The vulnerability particularly affects environments where network traffic analysis is performed on untrusted networks or when analyzing packets from unknown sources.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2018-9262 focus on immediate software updates and implementation of additional network monitoring controls. The primary fix involves updating to Wireshark versions 2.4.6 or 2.2.14, which contain the patched VLAN dissector implementation that enforces recursion depth limits in packet-vlan.c. Network administrators should also implement packet filtering rules that limit VLAN tag nesting at network boundaries to prevent exploitation attempts. Additional defensive measures include deploying network segmentation strategies that isolate potentially malicious traffic from critical analysis systems and implementing intrusion detection systems that can identify and block packets with suspicious VLAN nesting patterns. The fix demonstrates proper input validation and recursion control mechanisms that prevent the dissector from processing more than a predetermined number of nested VLAN tags, effectively eliminating the infinite recursion condition that led to the crash. Organizations should also consider implementing network access controls that restrict who can submit packets to Wireshark analysis systems and establish monitoring protocols to detect unusual application behavior that might indicate exploitation attempts.