WiresharkApplication
CVE-2014-6423
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 tvb_raw_text_add function in epan/dissectors/packet-megaco.c in the MEGACO dissector in Wireshark 1.10.x before 1.10.10 and 1.12.x before 1.12.1 allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (infinite loop) via an empty line.
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 MEGACO dissector in Wireshark contains an infinite loop vulnerability in the tvb_raw_text_add function (packet-megaco.c). When processing a crafted MEGACO packet containing an empty line, the dissector enters an infinite loop, causing Wireshark to hang and become unresponsive, resulting in denial of service. This affects Wireshark 1.10.x before 1.10.10 and 1.12.x before 1.12.1.
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
= 1.10.0= 1.10.1= 1.10.2= 1.10.3= 1.10.4= 1.10.5= 1.10.6= 1.10.7= 1.10.8= 1.10.9= 1.12.0CVSS 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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Check installed Wireshark versionRun 'wireshark --version' or 'tshark --version' from command line, or open Wireshark and go to Help > About > VersionsAffected if The version is 1.10.0 through 1.10.9, or version 1.12.0
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Confirm MEGACO protocol support is presentCheck if packet-megaco.c exists in the Wireshark installation directory, or run 'wireshark -G protocols | findstr MEGACO'Affected if The MEGACO protocol dissector is available in the installed Wireshark build
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Determine if MEGACO dissector is enabledOpen Wireshark, go to Analyze > Enabled Protocols, and check if MEGACO is checked/enabledAffected if MEGACO protocol is enabled in the protocol settings
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Identify MEGACO traffic capture exposureReview any packet capture files (.pcap, .pcapng) in your environment for MEGACO protocol traffic using 'tshark -r capture.pcap -Y megaco'Affected if You have capture files containing MEGACO traffic that could be opened and processed by Wireshark
You are affected if you run Wireshark version 1.10.0-1.10.9 or 1.12.0 with the MEGACO dissector enabled and process MEGACO traffic or capture files.
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 1.10.10 or later for the 1.10.x branch, or version 1.12.1 or later for the 1.12.x branch. Alternatively, avoid opening untrusted MEGACO capture files or disable the MEGACO dissector 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
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-2014-6423 — 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-2014-6423 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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- Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
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