WiresharkApplication
CVE-2015-4651
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_wccp2r1_address_table_info function in epan/dissectors/packet-wccp.c in the WCCP dissector in Wireshark 1.12.x before 1.12.6 does not properly determine whether enough memory is available for storing IP address strings, 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 confidenceA memory allocation validation vulnerability exists in the WCCP (Web Cache Communication Protocol) dissector in Wireshark. The dissect_wccp2r1_address_table_info function in packet-wccp.c fails to verify that sufficient memory is available before storing IP address strings, allowing a crafted packet to trigger a buffer overflow condition that crashes the application.
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= 1.12.4= 1.12.5
Debian LinuxOperating system
= 8.0= 11.3CVSS 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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Verify Wireshark installation and versionRun 'wireshark --version' or 'tshark --version' from command line to identify the installed Wireshark versionAffected if The version shown is 1.12.0, 1.12.1, 1.12.2, 1.12.3, 1.12.4, or 1.12.5
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Confirm WCCP protocol support is presentRun 'wireshark -G protocols' or check the installed dissectors for 'wccp' protocol support in WiresharkAffected if The WCCP dissector is present in the installation
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Identify WCCP dissector source file versionLocate the packet-wccp.c file in the Wireshark source or installation and check its version or build timestampAffected if The file corresponds to Wireshark 1.12.x series (1.12.0-1.12.5) and contains the vulnerable dissect_wccp2r1_address_table_info function
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Check for pcap files or live capture exposureReview any pcap files opened by Wireshark or monitor network interfaces that Wireshark is capturing fromAffected if Wireshark is configured to capture from untrusted network traffic or open pcap files of unknown origin while running a vulnerable version
A user is affected if Wireshark version 1.12.0 through 1.12.5 is installed AND the WCCP dissector is enabled AND the user opens a crafted pcap file or captures network traffic containing malicious WCCP 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 1.12.6 or later. Avoid opening untrusted pcap files or dissecting untrusted network traffic until the update is applied.
Fix this in Wireshark
Scoped from the published advisory
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation4.0 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 $2,560.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2015-4651 — 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-2015-4651 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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