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WiresharkApplication

CVE-2011-3360

HIGH · 9.3 CVSS v2.0 Published 2011-09-20
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
100/100
Remediation priority · Urgent
Remotely reachable No privileges Zero-click

Official description Straight from the sourceThe vendor's or NVD's own wording, published unedited. Authoritative, but often terse — it says what broke, rarely what to do.

NVD · unedited
Untrusted search path vulnerability in Wireshark 1.4.x before 1.4.9 and 1.6.x before 1.6.2 allows local users to gain privileges via a Trojan horse Lua script in an unspecified directory.

Technical summary Written by usOur analysis, written from the advisory, the CVSS vector and the affected-version data. It adds context the advisory leaves out, and never invents facts that are not in the source.

dbcve analysis · high confidence

Wireshark versions 1.4.x before 1.4.9 and 1.6.x before 1.6.2 contain an untrusted search path vulnerability where the application loads Lua scripts from directories that may be user-controlled. A local attacker can place a malicious Trojan horse Lua script in an unspecified search path directory, causing Wireshark to execute it with the privileges of the running user, potentially achieving privilege escalation.

MitigationUpgrade Wireshark to version 1.4.9, 1.6.2, or later. Additionally, ensure untrusted directories are not included in the application search path and that only trusted, integrity-verified script locations are accessible.

Verify against the referenced sources before acting — the references below are authoritative for this CVE, this summary is not.

Affected products & versions What the vendor confirmedThe version ranges the vendor confirmed as vulnerable. If your version sits inside a range here, treat yourself as exposed until you have upgraded.

NVD · CPE data
WiresharkApplication
Affected:= 1.4.0= 1.4.1= 1.4.2= 1.4.3= 1.4.4= 1.4.5= 1.4.6= 1.4.7= 1.4.8= 1.6.0= 1.6.1

CVSS breakdown How the score is builtThe industry scoring standard. It rates how the flaw is reached, what it takes to exploit, and what an attacker gains — the score is derived from those, not the other way round.

From the vector
Attack vector
Network
Complexity
M
Authentication
None
Confidentiality
Complete
Integrity
Complete
Availability
Complete

AV:N/AC:M/Au:N/C:C/I:C/A:C

Am I affected? How to checkSteps we derive from the advisory and the affected-version data, so you can decide whether this CVE reaches your setup. They are a guide, not a scan — your own configuration is the authority.

dbcve checks

Work through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.

  1. Determine installed Wireshark version
    Run 'wireshark --version' or 'tshark --version' from command line. On Windows, right-click Wireshark in Start menu and select 'About Wireshark'. On Linux, check the package manager with 'dpkg -l wireshark' or 'rpm -qa wireshark'.
    Affected if Version is 1.4.0 through 1.4.8, or 1.6.0 through 1.6.1 (versions before 1.4.9 or 1.6.2 are affected).
  2. Confirm Lua scripting is enabled
    In Wireshark GUI, go to Help > About Wireshark and check the 'Plugins' or 'Enabled Plugins' tab for Lua-related entries. From command line, run 'wireshark -G lua' to check if Lua support was compiled in. Check if .lua files appear in the plugins directory.
    Affected if Lua scripting is enabled and Wireshark loads Lua scripts.
  3. Identify Lua script search path directories
    Check Wireshark configuration files (typically in ~/.wireshark or /etc/wireshark) for 'lua_path' or 'lua_script' settings. Also check the global plugins directory (often /usr/lib/wireshark/lib/wireshark/plugins or C:\Program Files\Wireshark\plugins). Look for any directories listed that may be writable by untrusted users.
    Affected if The Lua search path includes directories writable by other users (such as /tmp, shared folders, or world-writable directories).
  4. Check for presence of unexpected Lua scripts in search paths
    Inspect all directories in the Lua search path for any .lua files that you did not install or that appear suspicious. On Linux/Unix systems, use 'find /path/to/lua/directory -name "*.lua" -type f' to list all Lua scripts.
    Affected if Unknown or unexpected Lua scripts exist in any of the search path directories.

You are affected if you run Wireshark version 1.4.x before 1.4.9 or 1.6.x before 1.6.2, have Lua scripting enabled, and your Lua script search path includes directories writable by untrusted users.

Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.

Check your environment

Paste your version and any relevant configuration and it will be compared against the affected criteria above. Do not include secrets or credentials.

AI-assisted, checked against the advisory. Informational, not a guarantee.

Remediation Closing itWhat it takes to close this. Where a vendor fix exists we point at it; where none exists we say so plainly, and can build one. Effort estimates are scoped from the advisory, not from your codebase.

dbcve · scoped
Mitigation available No clean upgrade yet — mitigate in the meantime
Mitigation

Upgrade Wireshark to version 1.4.9, 1.6.2, or later. Additionally, ensure untrusted directories are not included in the application search path and that only trusted, integrity-verified script locations are accessible.

Recommended fix High confidence

Wireshark 1.4.9 or later (or 1.6.2 or later, or current stable release)

  1. Check current Wireshark version by running 'wireshark --version' or 'tshark -v'
  2. Back up any custom Lua scripts or configurations in the Wireshark configuration directory
  3. Uninstall the current vulnerable Wireshark version using your system's package manager (e.g., 'apt-get remove wireshark' or 'yum remove wireshark')
  4. Update package repositories to ensure access to patched versions
  5. Install Wireshark version 1.4.9 or later (for the 1.4.x branch) or 1.6.2 or later (for the 1.6.x branch), or preferably the latest stable version available in your distribution's repositories
  6. Verify the new version is installed by running 'wireshark --version'
  7. Restore any backed-up custom Lua scripts from trusted sources only
Caveat Minor - this is a security/bugfix update; some UI or feature changes may exist between 1.4.x and newer versions

Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.

Fix this in Wireshark Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation1.0 h
  • Implementation1.0 h
  • Testing2.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
5.0 hours of engineering $860
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References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.

Primary sources

Practitioner notes

Contributed

Peer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2011-3360 in production — separate from our analysis above.

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What this is

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What belongs here
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  • Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
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