CVE-2024-24479 in Wireshark
Summary
by MITRE • 02/21/2024
Buffer Overflow vulnerability in Wireshark team Wireshark before v.4.2.0 allows a remote attacker to cause a denial of service via the wsutil/to_str.c, and format_fractional_part_nsecs components.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 02/06/2025
This buffer overflow vulnerability in Wireshark affects versions prior to 4.2.0 and represents a critical security flaw that can be exploited by remote attackers to trigger denial of service conditions. The vulnerability specifically resides within the wsutil/to_str.c component and the format_fractional_part_nsecs function, which handle the formatting of fractional seconds in timestamp displays. The flaw occurs when processing malformed packet data that contains excessive or malformed timestamp values, leading to improper buffer handling during string conversion operations. Attackers can craft malicious network traffic packets that, when processed by Wireshark, cause the application to write beyond allocated memory boundaries, resulting in application crashes or system instability.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability involves improper bounds checking during the conversion of fractional nanosecond values to string representations. When Wireshark encounters timestamp data that exceeds expected ranges or contains malformed values, the format_fractional_part_nsecs function fails to validate input parameters before performing memory operations. This lack of input sanitization creates a classic buffer overflow condition where attacker-controlled data can overwrite adjacent memory regions. The vulnerability is particularly concerning because it operates at the protocol parsing layer, meaning any network traffic that Wireshark processes could potentially trigger the flaw regardless of the underlying protocol being analyzed.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple denial of service scenarios, as it can be leveraged to compromise the availability of network analysis tools that security professionals rely upon for critical infrastructure monitoring. When exploited, the buffer overflow can cause Wireshark to crash repeatedly, forcing network administrators to restart the application and potentially lose valuable packet capture data. In enterprise environments where Wireshark is used for continuous network monitoring, this vulnerability could result in significant operational disruption and may be exploited to evade detection by causing the analysis tool to become unresponsive during security investigations. The vulnerability affects both interactive analysis sessions and automated packet capture processing, making it particularly dangerous in environments where Wireshark is used for real-time network traffic analysis.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability primarily involve upgrading to Wireshark version 4.2.0 or later, which includes patches that address the buffer overflow conditions in the affected components. Network security teams should prioritize this update across all systems where Wireshark is deployed for network analysis purposes. Additional defensive measures include implementing network segmentation to limit exposure to potentially malicious traffic, deploying network monitoring tools that can detect and block malformed packet patterns, and establishing robust incident response procedures for handling application crashes. Organizations should also consider implementing network traffic filtering rules that can identify and drop suspicious packet patterns that might trigger the vulnerability. The vulnerability aligns with CWE-121, which describes stack-based buffer overflow conditions, and represents a significant risk to the availability and reliability of network security analysis tools that form the backbone of modern cybersecurity operations.