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WiresharkApplication

CVE-2015-8736

MEDIUM · 5.5 CVSS v3.0 Published 2016-01-04
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
58/100
Remediation priority · Elevated
No privileges

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 · unedited
The mp2t_find_next_pcr function in wiretap/mp2t.c in the MP2T file parser in Wireshark 2.0.x before 2.0.1 does not reserve memory for a trailer, which allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (stack-based buffer overflow 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 confidence

The mp2t_find_next_pcr function in Wireshark's MP2T file parser fails to allocate memory for a trailer when processing MP2T files, resulting in a stack-based buffer overflow when a crafted file with a trailer is parsed, causing denial of service via application crash.

MitigationUpgrade Wireshark to version 2.0.1 or later. Until then, avoid opening untrusted MP2T files in Wireshark.

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
Affected:= 2.0.0

CVSS 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 checks

Work through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.

  1. Verify Wireshark installation
    Run 'wireshark --version' or check your system's package manager for wireshark
    Affected if Wireshark is not installed, the system is not affected by this CVE
  2. Confirm installed version is 2.0.0
    Run 'wireshark --version' and examine the output. Look for exact version 2.0.0
    Affected if The installed version is exactly 2.0.0, indicating the vulnerable version
  3. Check MP2T parser availability
    Wireshark ships the MP2T dissector by default. Verify by opening Wireshark and checking if 'MP2T' appears in the dissector list or by attempting to analyze an MP2T file
    Affected if The MP2T dissector is loaded and active in Wireshark (default state)
  4. Identify if untrusted MP2T files are processed
    Review system or user workflows to determine if Wireshark is used to open MP2T files from untrusted sources, or check recent file access logs for .mp2t file opens
    Affected if Users routinely open MP2T files from untrusted or unknown sources in Wireshark

A system is affected if Wireshark version 2.0.0 is installed, the MP2T dissector is active, and users process untrusted MP2T files with it.

Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.

Check your environment

Paste your version and any relevant configuration and it will be compared against the affected criteria above. Do not include secrets or credentials.

AI-assisted, checked against the advisory. Informational, not a guarantee.

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 data
Mitigation available No clean upgrade yet — mitigate in the meantime
Mitigation

Upgrade Wireshark to version 2.0.1 or later. Until then, avoid opening untrusted MP2T files in Wireshark.

Fix this in Wireshark Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation4.0 h
  • Implementation6.0 h
  • Testing12.0 h
  • Review / QA4.0 h
26.0 hours of engineering $4,400
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References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.

Primary sources

Practitioner notes

Contributed

Peer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2015-8736 in production — separate from our analysis above.

No notes yet

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What this is

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.

What belongs here
  • 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
  • No spam, self-promotion, credentials, or personal data