WiresharkApplication
CVE-2012-1596
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 · uneditedThe mp2t_process_fragmented_payload function in epan/dissectors/packet-mp2t.c in the MP2T dissector in Wireshark 1.4.x before 1.4.12 and 1.6.x before 1.6.6 allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (application crash) via a packet containing an invalid pointer value that triggers an incorrect memory-allocation attempt.
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 confidenceThe MP2T dissector in Wireshark contains a vulnerability in the mp2t_process_fragmented_payload function where a malformed packet containing an invalid pointer value triggers an incorrect memory-allocation attempt, causing the application to crash. This is a denial-of-service vulnerability exploitable by sending specially crafted MP2T packets to a Wireshark user analyzing network traffic.
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
= 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= 1.4.9= 1.4.10= 1.4.11CVSS 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
- Low
- Authentication
- None
- Confidentiality
- None
- Integrity
- None
- Availability
- Partial
AV:N/AC:L/Au:N/C:N/I:N/A:P
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 checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Identify Wireshark installationRun 'wireshark --version' or check the application version through the Help > About menu in the Wireshark GUIAffected if The version number returned is between 1.4.0 and 1.4.11 inclusive
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Verify the MP2T dissector is presentCheck for the presence of the MP2T dissector by examining the dissectable protocol list or attempting to open an MP2T/TS capture file; the dissector is typically included in Wireshark installationsAffected if The MP2T dissector is available in the installation and can process MPEG-2 Transport Stream packets
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Confirm the vulnerability trigger conditionThis vulnerability is triggered when Wireshark attempts to parse a malformed MP2T packet containing an invalid pointer value in the mp2t_process_fragmented_payload function; the crash occurs during packet dissectionAffected if A malformed MP2T packet is captured and dissected by the vulnerable Wireshark version
A user is affected if they have Wireshark version 1.4.0 through 1.4.11 installed and use the MP2T dissector to analyze network traffic containing specially crafted MP2T packets.
Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.
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.
From vendor dataUpgrade Wireshark to version 1.4.12 or later for the 1.4.x branch, or version 1.6.6 or later for the 1.6.x branch (or any later stable release) to patch the vulnerability in the MP2T dissector.
Fix this in Wireshark
Scoped from the published advisory
- Consultation1.0 h
- Implementation1.0 h
- Testing2.0 h
- Review / QA1.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $1,376.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2012-1596 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.
References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.
Primary sourcesPractitioner notes
ContributedPeer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2012-1596 in production — separate from our analysis above.
The advisory tells you what broke. It rarely tells you what actually worked. If you’ve dealt with this one, that detail is what the next engineer is searching for.
- The version that genuinely resolved it — not the one the vendor claimed
- A config change or rule that shut the vector down
- A gotcha in the upgrade path that cost you an afternoon
No notes yet
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- Verified mitigations, workarounds, and config changes
- Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
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