WiresharkApplication
CVE-2014-6428
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 dissect_spdu function in epan/dissectors/packet-ses.c in the SES dissector in Wireshark 1.10.x before 1.10.10 and 1.12.x before 1.12.1 does not initialize a certain ID value, which allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (application crash) 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 confidenceThe SES dissector in Wireshark contains an uninitialized variable vulnerability in the dissect_spdu function within packet-ses.c. When processing crafted SES protocol packets, a certain ID value is used without prior initialization, leading to undefined behavior and application crash. This is a denial-of-service vulnerability exploitable via malicious network packets.
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.
-
Verify Wireshark installation and versionRun 'wireshark --version' or 'tshark --version' to identify the installed Wireshark versionAffected if The version returned is 1.10.0 through 1.10.9, or 1.12.0
-
Locate the SES dissector fileSearch for 'packet-ses.c' in the Wireshark source or installation directoriesAffected if The file exists in the installation, indicating the SES dissector is present
-
Confirm SES protocol support is compiledRun 'wireshark -G protocols' or check the enabled protocols list for 'SES' protocol entryAffected if The SES protocol appears in the list of supported protocols, meaning it can process SES packets
-
Verify vulnerability condition in dissect_spduReview the dissect_spdu function in packet-ses.c for the uninitialized ID variable usageAffected if The code contains the uninitialized variable pattern affecting the listed versions
You are affected if Wireshark version 1.10.0-1.10.9 or 1.12.0 is installed with the SES dissector enabled and capable of processing SES protocol 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 1.10.10 or 1.12.1 or later to obtain the fix that properly initializes the ID value in the dissect_spdu function.
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-2014-6428 — 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-2014-6428 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
Be the first to add a field note for this CVE — a mitigation you’ve verified, a version caveat, or a link to a working fix. Sign in above to contribute.
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.
- Verified mitigations, workarounds, and config changes
- Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
- No weaponised exploit code, or anything meant to cause harm
- No spam, self-promotion, credentials, or personal data