CVE-2023-2906 in Wireshark
Summary
by MITRE • 08/26/2023
Due to a failure in validating the length provided by an attacker-crafted CP2179 packet, Wireshark versions 2.0.0 through 4.0.7 is susceptible to a divide by zero allowing for a denial of service attack.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 05/07/2026
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2023-2906 represents a critical denial of service flaw within Wireshark's packet analysis capabilities. This issue stems from inadequate input validation mechanisms within the software's handling of CP2179 protocol packets, which are commonly used for USB-to-serial communication device monitoring. The vulnerability exists specifically in Wireshark versions ranging from 2.0.0 through 4.0.7, indicating a prolonged exposure window that could have allowed attackers to exploit this weakness across multiple major releases.
The technical root cause of this vulnerability lies in the software's failure to properly validate the length field within attacker-crafted CP2179 packets. When processing these packets, Wireshark attempts to perform a division operation using the length value provided by the malicious packet as the divisor. This mathematical operation creates a divide by zero condition when the attacker supplies a zero value in the length field, causing the application to crash and terminate unexpectedly. This type of vulnerability falls under the CWE-369 category of divide by zero, which is classified as a common weakness in software development practices that can lead to system instability and denial of service conditions.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple application crashes, as it enables remote attackers to disrupt network monitoring operations that depend on Wireshark for protocol analysis. Network security analysts and administrators who rely on Wireshark for troubleshooting and security assessments could find their monitoring capabilities compromised, potentially leading to extended periods of network visibility loss during critical security incidents. The vulnerability's exploitability is particularly concerning because it requires minimal technical expertise to execute, making it accessible to attackers with basic network knowledge while still delivering significant operational disruption.
From an attack framework perspective, this vulnerability aligns with ATT&CK technique T1499.001 which involves network denial of service attacks targeting network infrastructure. The flaw represents a classic example of how input validation failures can be weaponized to create service disruption without requiring advanced exploitation techniques. Organizations using affected Wireshark versions face potential exposure during network troubleshooting sessions, security audits, or when analyzing network traffic from potentially compromised systems. The vulnerability's presence in multiple versions suggests that organizations may have been exposed for extended periods without awareness of the risk.
The recommended mitigation strategy involves immediate upgrade to Wireshark version 4.0.8 or later, which includes the necessary patches to validate length fields properly before performing mathematical operations. Network administrators should also implement additional monitoring for suspicious CP2179 traffic patterns and consider network segmentation to limit exposure to potentially malicious packets. Security teams should conduct thorough vulnerability assessments of their network monitoring infrastructure to identify any other potentially affected tools or systems that may exhibit similar input validation weaknesses. The fix implemented in the patched versions demonstrates proper error handling and input validation practices that prevent the division operation from executing with invalid values, thereby eliminating the crash condition and restoring system stability.