WiresharkApplication
CVE-2014-8714
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_write_structured_field function in epan/dissectors/packet-tn5250.c in the TN5250 dissector in Wireshark 1.10.x before 1.10.11 and 1.12.x before 1.12.2 allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (infinite loop) 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 TN5250 dissector in Wireshark contains an infinite loop vulnerability in the dissect_write_structured_field function. By sending a crafted TN5250 packet, a remote attacker can cause Wireshark to enter an infinite loop, resulting in denial of service through CPU exhaustion.
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= 1.10.10= 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 Wireshark to view the version numberAffected if Version is 1.10.0 through 1.10.10, or version 1.12.0 exactly - these are the affected versions listed in the CVE
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Confirm TN5250 protocol support existsCheck if Wireshark was built with TN5250 dissector support by examining the enabled protocols in Wireshark (Analyze > Enabled Protocols) or checking if libtn5250 is present in the installationAffected if TN5250 dissector is present and enabled in the Wireshark installation - the vulnerability only affects systems where this dissector is available
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Verify active protocol dissectorsIn Wireshark GUI, go to Analyze > Enabled Protocols and look for TN5250 in the list, or use 'tshark -G protocols | grep -i tn5250' to list protocol supportAffected if TN5250 is shown as enabled - the infinite loop triggers when Wireshark attempts to dissect a crafted TN5250 packet
You are affected if Wireshark version is 1.10.0-1.10.10 or 1.12.0 AND the TN5250 dissector is present and enabled in your installation, as the vulnerability exists in the dissect_write_structured_field function of that specific dissector.
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 dataUpdate Wireshark to version 1.10.11 or later for the 1.10.x branch, or version 1.12.2 or later for the 1.12.x branch. Alternatively, avoid opening untrusted packet capture files with the TN5250 dissector enabled.
Fix this in Wireshark
Scoped from the published advisory
- Consultation1.0 h
- Implementation1.0 h
- Testing1.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $1,200.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2014-8714 — 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-2014-8714 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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