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WiresharkApplication

CVE-2013-4081

MEDIUM · 5.0 CVSS v2.0 Published 2013-06-09
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
59/100
Remediation priority · Elevated
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
The http_payload_subdissector function in epan/dissectors/packet-http.c in the HTTP dissector in Wireshark 1.6.x before 1.6.16 and 1.8.x before 1.8.8 does not properly determine when to use a recursive approach, which allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (stack consumption) via a crafted packet.

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

The HTTP dissector in Wireshark contains a stack consumption vulnerability in the http_payload_subdissector function. The function fails to properly limit recursion depth when processing HTTP payload data, allowing a crafted malicious packet to trigger excessive recursive calls that exhaust the stack and cause a denial of service.

MitigationUpdate Wireshark to version 1.6.16 or later (1.6.x branch) or version 1.8.8 or later (1.8.x branch) to obtain the vendor patch. Alternatively, avoid opening untrusted packet capture files or processing traffic from untrusted sources until the update is applied.

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:= 1.8.0= 1.8.1= 1.8.2= 1.8.3= 1.8.4= 1.8.5= 1.8.6= 1.8.7= 1.6.0= 1.6.1= 1.6.2= 1.6.3
Debian LinuxOperating system
Affected:= 7.0
OpensuseOperating system
Affected:= 11.4= 12.2= 12.3

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
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 checks

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

  1. Identify installed Wireshark version
    Run 'wireshark --version' or 'tshark --version' from command line. On Debian/Ubuntu, also check 'dpkg -l | grep wireshark'. On RHEL/CentOS, use 'rpm -qi wireshark'. On OpenSUSE, use 'rpm -qi wireshark'.
    Affected if The version displayed is 1.6.0 through 1.6.3, or 1.8.0 through 1.8.7
  2. Confirm Wireshark HTTP dissector is accessible
    Verify Wireshark is installed by checking for the executable: 'which wireshark' or 'which tshark'. The HTTP dissector is built into Wireshark by default.
    Affected if Wireshark or TShark is installed and the HTTP protocol dissector is available (enabled by default)
  3. Check for recent packet capture processing activity
    Review recent tshark capture jobs, look at Wireshark recent files, or check system logs for pcap/pcapng file processing. On Linux, check /tmp for recently accessed capture files or review bash history for tshark/wireshark commands.
    Affected if The system has been used to open or analyze pcap files containing HTTP traffic within the affected timeframe
  4. Determine if running affected Debian or OpenSUSE version
    For Debian: check 'cat /etc/debian_version' - if it shows 7.0, the system ships vulnerable Wireshark packages. For OpenSUSE: check 'cat /etc/os-release' or 'cat /etc/SuSE-release' - versions 11.4, 12.2, or 12.3 ship vulnerable Wireshark.
    Affected if Operating system is Debian 7.0, OpenSUSE 11.4, 12.2, or 12.3 with vulnerable Wireshark packages installed

You are affected if Wireshark version 1.8.0-1.8.7 or 1.6.0-1.6.3 is installed AND you process pcap files or live network traffic containing HTTP packets.

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.

From vendor data
Mitigation available No clean upgrade yet — mitigate in the meantime
Mitigation

Update Wireshark to version 1.6.16 or later (1.6.x branch) or version 1.8.8 or later (1.8.x branch) to obtain the vendor patch. Alternatively, avoid opening untrusted packet capture files or processing traffic from untrusted sources until the update is applied.

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-2013-4081 in production — separate from our analysis above.

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What this is

A place for practitioners to share what actually worked: a mitigation you’ve tested, a configuration change, a version- or environment-specific caveat, or a link to a verified patch. The most useful notes rise to the top as peers upvote them, so the signal stays high.

What belongs here
  • Verified mitigations, workarounds, and config changes
  • Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
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