WiresharkApplication
CVE-2015-8729
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 ascend_seek function in wiretap/ascendtext.c in the Ascend file parser in Wireshark 1.12.x before 1.12.9 and 2.0.x before 2.0.1 does not ensure the presence of a '\0' character at the end of a date string, which allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (out-of-bounds read and application crash) via a crafted file.
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 ascend_seek function in Wireshark's Ascend file parser fails to ensure a null terminator ('\0') at the end of a date string read from crafted files. When parsing an Ascend file without proper null termination, the function performs an out-of-bounds read beyond the string buffer, causing a denial of service through application crash.
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= 1.12.6= 1.12.7= 1.12.8= 2.0.0CVSS 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
- Local
- Complexity
- Low
- Privileges
- None
- User interaction
- Required
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- None
- Integrity
- None
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.0/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H
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' to obtain the installed Wireshark version numberAffected if The version is 1.12.0, 1.12.1, 1.12.2, 1.12.3, 1.12.4, 1.12.5, 1.12.6, 1.12.7, 1.12.8, or 2.0.0
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Confirm Ascend file parser is presentCheck for the presence of the Ascend dissector module. In Wireshark, go to Help > About Wireshark > Plugins or run 'ls' on the plugins directory to look for 'ascend' related dissector filesAffected if The Ascend dissector plugin or module is loaded and available for parsing .abs or related Ascend file types
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Check for recent Ascend file analysis activityReview Wireshark capture history, recent files opened, or check if any .abs or Ascend-formatted files have been loaded into Wireshark recentlyAffected if Untrusted or crafted Ascend files have been opened with the affected Wireshark version, which could trigger the out-of-bounds read
You are affected if Wireshark version 1.12.0 through 1.12.8 or version 2.0.0 is installed and the Ascend file parser is available, especially if untrusted Ascend files have been opened.
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 1.12.9 or later, or 2.0.1 or later. Until then, avoid opening untrusted Ascend files with Wireshark.
Fix this in Wireshark
Scoped from the published advisory
- Consultation1.0 h
- Implementation2.0 h
- Testing4.0 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 $2,144.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2015-8729 — 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-2015-8729 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
- No weaponised exploit code, or anything meant to cause harm
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