WiresharkApplication
CVE-2015-8733
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 ngsniffer_process_record function in wiretap/ngsniffer.c in the Sniffer file parser in Wireshark 1.12.x before 1.12.9 and 2.0.x before 2.0.1 does not validate the relationships between record lengths and record header lengths, 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 ngsniffer_process_record function in Wireshark's Sniffer file parser (wiretap/ngsniffer.c) lacks proper validation of the relationship between record lengths and record header lengths. When parsing a crafted Sniffer file, this allows an attacker to trigger an out-of-bounds read by providing inconsistent length values, causing Wireshark to 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 is installedRun 'wireshark --version' or check your package manager for wireshark installationAffected if Wireshark is not installed on the system
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Identify installed Wireshark versionExecute 'wireshark --version' and note the version number in the outputAffected if Version is 1.12.0 through 1.12.8, or version 2.0.0 exactly
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Confirm Sniffer file parser module existsCheck for the presence of ngsniffer.c or related dissector files in the Wireshark installation directory (typically in wiretap/ or share/wireshark/)Affected if The ngsniffer parser module is present in the installation
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Check for auto-dissect configurationInspect Wireshark preferences for automatic file parsing settings (Preferences > Files > Packet list > uncheck 'Automatically decode packets during load' or check wiresharkrc config files)Affected if Auto-dissection is enabled and the user opens untrusted Sniffer capture files
You are affected if Wireshark version is 1.12.0-1.12.8 or 2.0.0 and the Sniffer file parser module is present with auto-dissection enabled.
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 to Wireshark 1.12.9+, 2.0.1+, or later versions. Until then, avoid opening untrusted Sniffer capture files in Wireshark.
Fix this in Wireshark
Scoped from the published advisory
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation4.0 h
- Testing4.0 h
- Review / QA2.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $3,328.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2015-8733 — 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-2015-8733 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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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
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