CVE-2024-11596 in Wireshark
Summary
by MITRE • 11/21/2024
ECMP dissector crash in Wireshark 4.4.0 to 4.4.1 and 4.2.0 to 4.2.8 allows denial of service via packet injection or crafted capture file
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 02/23/2025
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2024-11596 represents a critical denial of service flaw within Wireshark's ECMP dissector functionality. This issue affects multiple versions of the popular network protocol analyzer, specifically targeting releases from 4.4.0 through 4.4.1 and 4.2.0 through 4.2.8. The flaw manifests as a crash condition that can be triggered through either packet injection or by processing a specially crafted capture file, making it particularly dangerous in environments where network analysis tools are extensively used for monitoring and troubleshooting. The ECMP dissector is responsible for interpreting Enhanced Common Multiprocessing frames, which are commonly found in network traffic involving multiple parallel data streams. When a malformed or unexpected packet structure is encountered during ECMP frame processing, the dissector fails to handle the input gracefully, leading to an abrupt termination of the Wireshark application.
The technical nature of this vulnerability stems from inadequate input validation within the ECMP dissector module. When Wireshark processes network packets, it relies on dissectors to interpret and display protocol-specific information. The ECMP dissector lacks proper bounds checking and error handling mechanisms when encountering malformed ECMP frame headers or payload structures. This absence of defensive programming practices creates a path for an attacker to craft specific packet sequences that cause memory corruption or invalid pointer dereferences within the dissector code. The vulnerability is classified under CWE-121, which addresses stack-based buffer overflow conditions, though the actual implementation likely involves heap corruption or null pointer dereference scenarios common in protocol parsing code. The crash occurs during the packet processing phase when the dissector attempts to access memory locations that have not been properly validated or initialized, resulting in an application termination that prevents further network analysis operations.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple service disruption, as it can severely compromise network monitoring capabilities in production environments. Network administrators and security analysts who rely on Wireshark for traffic inspection, troubleshooting, and security incident response may find their analysis tools becoming unresponsive or crashing entirely when processing legitimate network traffic containing ECMP frames. This creates a significant risk for organizations that depend on continuous network visibility, as the tool's failure could obscure important security events or prevent timely response to network incidents. The vulnerability is particularly concerning in automated monitoring systems where Wireshark might be used in scripts or continuous capture scenarios, as a single malicious packet or corrupted capture file could cause repeated application crashes. Additionally, the impact is amplified when considering that many network protocols and applications utilize ECMP frames in their communication, meaning that a simple network scan or capture could trigger the vulnerability without requiring sophisticated attack vectors.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2024-11596 should prioritize immediate version updates to Wireshark 4.4.2 or 4.2.9, which contain the necessary patches to address the dissector crash conditions. Network administrators should implement defensive measures such as limiting packet injection capabilities in monitoring environments and validating capture file sources before processing them within Wireshark. Organizations should also consider implementing network segmentation to prevent potential attackers from injecting malicious packets directly into monitored network segments. The vulnerability aligns with ATT&CK technique T1498, which covers network denial of service attacks, and T1566, covering spearphishing with a malicious attachment, as the crafted capture files could be delivered through social engineering campaigns. Security teams should also enhance their monitoring of network analysis tool availability and implement automated alerting for application crashes or unexpected terminations. For environments where immediate updates are not feasible, temporary workarounds such as disabling ECMP protocol support within Wireshark or implementing additional input validation layers can provide interim protection. The incident underscores the importance of maintaining current network security tools and following vendor security advisories to prevent exploitation of known vulnerabilities that could lead to operational disruptions or security gaps in network monitoring capabilities.