Description
HTTP protocol dissector crash in Wireshark 4.6.0 to 4.6.4 and 4.4.0 to 4.4.14 allows denial of service
Published: 2026-04-30
Score: 5.5 Medium
EPSS: < 1% Very Low
KEV: No
Impact: n/a
Action: n/a
AI Analysis

Impact

This vulnerability is a stack‑based buffer overflow in the HTTP protocol dissector of Wireshark. Versions 4.6.0–4.6.4 and 4.4.0–4.4.14 can be triggered by a maliciously crafted HTTP packet, causing the application to crash and leading to a denial of service. The weakness is categorized as CWE‑121 and CWE‑617, a classic stack buffer overflow and an improper restriction of operations within the bounds of a memory buffer.

Affected Systems

The affected product is Wireshark from Wireshark Foundation. The vulnerability affects Wireshark releases 4.6.0 through 4.6.4 and 4.4.0 through 4.4.14. An upgrade to version 4.6.5 or later resolves the issue.

Risk and Exploitability

The CVSS score of 5.5 indicates moderate severity. The EPSS score of less than 1% suggests a low probability of exploitation. The vulnerability is not listed in the CISA KEV catalog. Attackers would need to supply a crafted HTTP packet to a running Wireshark instance, which is feasible when Wireshark loads live traffic. Successful exploitation would crash the application, causing denial of service to the analyst or end‑user who relies on Wireshark for network captures.

Generated by OpenCVE AI on May 1, 2026 at 05:21 UTC.

Remediation

Vendor Solution

Upgrade to version 4.6.5 or above

OpenCVE Recommended Actions

  • Upgrade Wireshark to version 4.6.5 or newer to eliminate the buffer overflow.
  • If an upgrade cannot be performed immediately, disable the HTTP dissector plugin so that Wireshark does not process HTTP packets until a patch is available.
  • Run Wireshark inside a sandboxed or highly restricted environment so that a crash does not compromise the host system or other processes.

Generated by OpenCVE AI on May 1, 2026 at 05:21 UTC.

Tracking

Sign in to view the affected projects.

Advisories
Source ID Title
Debian DSA Debian DSA DSA-6249-1 wireshark security update
History

Fri, 01 May 2026 19:15:00 +0000

Type Values Removed Values Added
CPEs cpe:2.3:a:wireshark:wireshark:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*

Thu, 30 Apr 2026 16:30:00 +0000

Type Values Removed Values Added
Metrics ssvc

{'options': {'Automatable': 'no', 'Exploitation': 'none', 'Technical Impact': 'partial'}, 'version': '2.0.3'}

Thu, 30 Apr 2026 12:15:00 +0000

Type Values Removed Values Added
Weaknesses CWE-617
References
Metrics threat_severity

None

 threat_severity

Moderate

Thu, 30 Apr 2026 07:45:00 +0000

Type Values Removed Values Added
First Time appeared Wireshark
Wireshark wireshark
Vendors & Products Wireshark
Wireshark wireshark

Thu, 30 Apr 2026 05:30:00 +0000

Type Values Removed Values Added
Description HTTP protocol dissector crash in Wireshark 4.6.0 to 4.6.4 and 4.4.0 to 4.4.14 allows denial of service
Title Stack-based Buffer Overflow in Wireshark
Weaknesses CWE-121
References
Metrics cvssV3_1

{'score': 5.5, 'vector': 'CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H'}

Subscriptions

Wireshark Wireshark
cve-icon MITRE

Status: PUBLISHED

Assigner: GitLab

Published:

Updated: 2026-04-30T15:20:49.496Z

Reserved: 2026-04-22T16:29:24.754Z

Link: CVE-2026-6868

cve-icon Vulnrichment

Updated: 2026-04-30T14:53:07.914Z

cve-icon NVD

Status : Analyzed

Published: 2026-04-30T06:16:16.783

Modified: 2026-05-01T19:01:36.567

Link: CVE-2026-6868

cve-icon Redhat

Severity : Moderate

Publid Date: 2026-04-30T05:04:30Z

Links: CVE-2026-6868 - Bugzilla

cve-icon OpenCVE Enrichment

Updated: 2026-05-01T05:30:09Z

Weaknesses