dbcve.org
WiresharkApplication

CVE-2018-14438

HIGH · 7.5 CVSS v3.0 Published 2018-07-20
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to after 2.6.2 or later.
See remediation →
84/100
Remediation priority · High
Remotely reachable No privileges Zero-click

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
In Wireshark through 2.6.2, the create_app_running_mutex function in wsutil/file_util.c calls SetSecurityDescriptorDacl to set a NULL DACL, which allows attackers to modify the access control arbitrarily.

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

In Wireshark through 2.6.2, the create_app_running_mutex function in wsutil/file_util.c calls SetSecurityDescriptorDacl with a NULL DACL, which effectively removes all access control on the mutex object and allows any attacker to modify permissions arbitrarily.

MitigationUpgrade to Wireshark 2.6.3 or later where the security descriptor is properly configured with a valid DACL instead of NULL.

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:<= 2.6.2

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
Network
Complexity
Low
Privileges
None
User interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
None
Integrity
High
Availability
None

CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:H/A:N

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 is installed on the system
    Check for Wireshark installation using system tools (e.g., 'programs and features' list, or run 'wireshark --version' from command line)
    Affected if Wireshark is installed on a Windows system and version is 2.6.2 or lower
  2. Check the installed Wireshark version
    Run 'wireshark --version' or check the version displayed in the Wireshark GUI under Help > About Wireshark
    Affected if The reported version number is 2.6.2 or any version lower than 2.6.2 (e.g., 2.6.1, 2.6.0, 2.4.x, etc.)
  3. Confirm the operating system is Windows
    Verify the system is running Windows, as the vulnerable code (SetSecurityDescriptorDacl with NULL DACL) is Windows-specific and only executes on Windows platforms
    Affected if The vulnerable mutex creation code only runs on Windows; Linux/macOS builds use different mutex implementations and are not affected by this specific flaw

A user is affected if Wireshark version 2.6.2 or lower is installed on a Windows system, as the NULL DACL vulnerability only applies to the Windows mutex creation code path in versions prior to 2.6.3.

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
Upgrade available Upgrade to a release after 2.6.2
Interim mitigation

Upgrade to Wireshark 2.6.3 or later where the security descriptor is properly configured with a valid DACL instead of NULL.

Fix this in Wireshark Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation4.0 h
  • Testing3.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
11.0 hours of engineering $1,930
Get the upgrade done

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $3,088.

Scan for this in your stack

Free · runs locally
dbcve dependency scanner

Check whether your project pulls in CVE-2018-14438 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.

Get it on GitHub Scan in the browser

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-2018-14438 in production — separate from our analysis above.

No notes yet

Be the first to add a field note for this CVE — a mitigation you’ve verified, a version caveat, or a link to a working fix. Sign in above to contribute.

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