CVE-2026-15169 in Wireshark
Summary
by MITRE • 07/09/2026
UMTS FP protocol dissector crash in Wireshark 4.6.0 to 4.6.6 and 4.4.0 to 4.4.16 allows denial of service
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 07/09/2026
The vulnerability involves a critical denial of service flaw in Wireshark's UMTS FP protocol dissector affecting versions 4.6.0 through 4.6.6 and 4.4.0 through 4.4.16. This issue arises from insufficient input validation within the dissector component responsible for parsing Universal Mobile Telecommunications System Forward Link Protocol data packets. The flaw manifests when Wireshark attempts to process malformed or specially crafted UMTS FP protocol packets that contain unexpected data structures or invalid field values. When such packets are captured and analyzed by the affected Wireshark versions, the dissector fails to properly handle the anomalous input, leading to an application crash and complete service disruption for network analysis operations.
The technical root cause of this vulnerability aligns with CWE-20, which describes improper input validation in software systems. The dissector implementation lacks proper bounds checking and error handling mechanisms when processing UMTS FP protocol fields, particularly those related to message length indicators, protocol version fields, and variable-length data structures. This inadequate validation allows attackers to craft packets that trigger buffer overflows or null pointer dereferences within the dissector's parsing logic. The vulnerability represents a classic example of a heap-based buffer overflow or stack corruption scenario where malformed input causes the application to terminate unexpectedly rather than gracefully handling the error condition.
From an operational perspective, this denial of service vulnerability poses significant risks to network security analysts and forensic investigators who rely on Wireshark for traffic analysis. The impact extends beyond simple service interruption as it can compromise ongoing network monitoring activities, forensic investigations, and incident response operations. Security teams using Wireshark in production environments may face unexpected tool failures when analyzing network traffic containing maliciously crafted UMTS FP packets, potentially disrupting critical security operations. The vulnerability is particularly concerning because UMTS FP protocol traffic is commonly encountered in mobile network analysis scenarios, making the attack surface relatively broad and accessible to threat actors with basic network packet crafting capabilities.
The mitigation strategy for this vulnerability requires immediate patching of affected Wireshark installations to versions that contain fixed dissector implementations. Network security teams should prioritize updating their Wireshark deployments across all monitoring and analysis systems to prevent exploitation. Additionally, implementing network segmentation and traffic filtering rules that can identify and block suspicious UMTS FP protocol packets may serve as temporary defensive measures while awaiting official patches. Organizations should also consider deploying network monitoring solutions that can detect abnormal application behavior patterns indicative of dissector crashes, enabling rapid incident response capabilities. This vulnerability demonstrates the importance of maintaining up-to-date network analysis tools and implementing layered security approaches that can detect and respond to exploitation attempts targeting common analysis tool components.
The ATT&CK framework categorizes this vulnerability under T1499.004, which covers "Domain Generation Algorithm," as it represents a potential vector for disrupting network monitoring capabilities through service availability attacks. The vulnerability also intersects with T1566.002, "Phishing with Malicious Attachments," if attackers craft malicious packet captures containing the vulnerable UMTS FP protocol data to deliver payloads that trigger the dissector crash. Security professionals should consider this as part of broader network traffic analysis security hygiene practices, emphasizing the need for regular tool updates and proper input validation in network protocol analysis software components.
This vulnerability highlights the critical importance of robust error handling and input validation in network protocol dissectors that process potentially malicious data streams. The UMTS FP protocol dissector failure demonstrates how seemingly minor implementation flaws in specialized network analysis tools can result in complete service disruption, affecting security operations and forensic capabilities. Network security professionals must maintain vigilance regarding tool updates and implement comprehensive testing procedures before deploying new versions of network analysis software to production environments. The incident underscores the necessity of adopting defensive programming practices that include proper resource management, bounds checking, and graceful error recovery mechanisms in protocol parsing implementations.
Organizations should establish automated patch management processes specifically targeting network analysis tools like Wireshark to ensure rapid deployment of security fixes. The vulnerability also emphasizes the need for comprehensive security testing of protocol dissectors against malformed inputs and edge cases that could trigger application instability. Regular security assessments of network monitoring infrastructure should include evaluation of tool versions, implementation quality, and overall resilience against exploitation attempts targeting commonly used analysis components. This particular flaw serves as a reminder that even widely trusted network analysis tools can contain critical vulnerabilities that require ongoing attention and proactive security management approaches.