WiresharkApplication
CVE-2015-8734
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_nwp function in epan/dissectors/packet-nwp.c in the NWP dissector in Wireshark 2.0.x before 2.0.1 mishandles the packet type, 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 · moderate confidenceA vulnerability exists in Wireshark's NWP (Network Weather Protocol) dissector where the dissect_nwp function in packet-nwp.c improperly handles the packet type field. When processing a crafted packet with a malformed or unexpected packet type value, the dissector causes a null pointer dereference or out-of-bounds access leading to application crash. This is a denial-of-service vulnerability exploitable by sending malicious NWP traffic to a Wireshark instance performing live capture or opening a malicious capture file.
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
= 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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Check Wireshark versionRun 'wireshark --version' or 'tshark --version' to determine the installed Wireshark versionAffected if Version is exactly 2.0.0
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Verify NWP dissector presenceCheck for the presence of packet-nwp.c dissector file in the Wireshark installation directory, typically found in the 'epan/dissectors' folder of the source or within the application bundleAffected if NWP dissector file exists in the installation
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Confirm NWP protocol decode capabilityOpen Wireshark and verify NWP protocol is listed in the supported protocols. In the GUI: Help > About Wireshark > Plugins or check 'wireshark -G protocols' output for 'nwp' entryAffected if NWP protocol is available and can be invoked during packet dissection
User is affected if Wireshark version is exactly 2.0.0 and the NWP dissector is present and capable of processing network traffic or capture files
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 2.0.1 or later. Until patches are applied, avoid opening untrusted capture files or processing NWP protocol traffic from untrusted sources.
Fix this in Wireshark
Scoped from the published advisory
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation6.0 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 $3,904.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2015-8734 — 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-2015-8734 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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