WiresharkApplication
CVE-2015-3813
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 fragment_add_work function in epan/reassemble.c in the packet-reassembly feature in Wireshark 1.12.x before 1.12.5 does not properly determine the defragmentation state in a case of an insufficient snapshot length, which allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (memory 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 · moderate confidenceThe vulnerability exists in Wireshark's packet-reassembly feature where the fragment_add_work function in epan/reassemble.c fails to properly determine defragmentation state when processing packets with insufficient snapshot length. This improper state tracking allows a crafted packet to cause excessive memory consumption leading to denial of service.
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
= 1.12.0= 1.12.1= 1.12.2= 1.12.3= 1.12.4CVSS 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 installed Wireshark versionRun 'wireshark --version' or check Help > About Wireshark to find the exact version numberAffected if The version is 1.12.0, 1.12.1, 1.12.2, 1.12.3, or 1.12.4
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Verify packet reassembly is enabledOpen Wireshark, go to Edit > Preferences > Protocols > TCP (or other protocol preferences) and check if 'Reassemble fragmented TCP segments' or similar reassembly options are enabledAffected if Packet reassembly features are turned on in the Wireshark protocol preferences
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Confirm protocol dissectors using fragment_add_work are activeCheck if you are analyzing capture files or live traffic containing fragmented protocols (such as fragmented IP, fragmented TCP, or protocols that rely on the reassembly mechanism in epan/reassemble.c)Affected if You are processing or analyzing captures with fragmented packets while using the affected Wireshark versions
You are affected if Wireshark version 1.12.0 through 1.12.4 is installed AND packet reassembly is enabled while processing fragmented network traffic.
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 1.12.5 or later to patch the fragment_add_work function flaw in the packet-reassembly feature.
Fix this in Wireshark
Scoped from the published advisory
- Consultation1.0 h
- Implementation1.0 h
- Testing1.0 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 $1,200.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2015-3813 — 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-2015-3813 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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