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CVE Record

CVE-2003-0429: The OSI dissector in Ethereal 0.9.12 and earlier allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service and p...

The OSI dissector in Ethereal 0.9.12 and earlier allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service and possibly execute arbitrary code via invalid IPv4 or IPv6 prefix lengths, possibly triggering a buffer overflow.

UnknownCVSS not scoredNot KEV-listedUpdated
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Glexia's Takehigh

Analyst readout for executives and security teams

Plain-English summary

CVE-2003-0429 affects Ethereal 0.9.12 and earlier. A malformed IPv4 or IPv6 prefix length can crash the OSI dissector and may trigger memory corruption that could allow arbitrary code execution. This matters mainly where very old Ethereal installations still inspect untrusted network traffic.

Executive priority

Treat confirmed exposure as time-sensitive legacy risk. The tool is old, but a vulnerable instance can fail during traffic inspection and may permit code execution. Prioritize discovery first; remediate any remaining installations promptly.

Technical view

The CVE describes invalid IPv4 or IPv6 prefix lengths reaching Ethereal's OSI dissector, possibly causing a buffer overflow. Reported impact is denial of service and possible arbitrary code execution. The provided record has no CVSS, CWE, or detailed affected package metadata beyond Ethereal 0.9.12 and earlier.

Likely exposure

Exposure is most plausible on legacy systems running Ethereal 0.9.12 or earlier, especially packet-analysis hosts processing untrusted network traffic. Modern environments are unlikely to be affected unless old packages or preserved diagnostic workstations remain in use.

Exploitation context

The source bundle does not show CISA KEV listing or active exploitation evidence. The attack is described as remote and packet-triggered, but the bundle does not provide exploit maturity, prerequisites, or confirmed real-world use.

Researcher notes

Evidence is sparse in the supplied bundle. The key facts are the affected version boundary, OSI dissector component, malformed IPv4 or IPv6 prefix length trigger, DoS impact, and possible buffer overflow leading to code execution. Do not assume exploit availability or specific fixed versions without advisory review.

Mitigation direction

  • Inventory systems for Ethereal 0.9.12 or earlier.
  • Review the cited vendor advisories for applicable package updates or backports.
  • Remove unsupported Ethereal installations where they are no longer needed.
  • Restrict legacy analyzers from processing untrusted traffic until remediated.
  • Document any exception with compensating controls and owner approval.

Validation and detection

  • Check installed package names and versions on legacy Linux systems.
  • Confirm whether any packet-capture hosts still run Ethereal.
  • Review vulnerability scanner findings using the cited OVAL definition where applicable.
  • Verify remediation against vendor advisory version guidance.
  • Record unsupported instances as accepted risk or remove them.
Prepared
Confidence
medium
Sources
5

Public sources used

Based on public source material and reviewed before publication.

Potential ATT&CK relevance

Conservative CVE-to-ATT&CK context

These mappings and lookup hints may be relevant to the vulnerability behavior, CWE, affected product, or exposure path. Glexia-inferred context is not an official MITRE, ATT&CK, CWE, or CVE Program mapping.

ATT&CK lookup starting points

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description · low confidence lookup

Execution behavior lookup

The CVE wording references code or command execution, so execution technique review may help defensive triage. This is a Glexia inferred lookup path, not an official MITRE, ATT&CK, or CVE Program mapping.

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cve · low confidence lookup

CVE-2003-0429 mapping review

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Vulnerability profileCVE Program record
Severity
Unknown
CVSS
Not scored
Known Exploited
No
Published
Official CVE source material

CNA and ADP enrichment extracted from CVE v5

These fields come from the CVE record and ADP containers, not from Glexia's Take. They preserve time-varying source decisions such as CISA SSVC, KEV status, CVSS metrics, and provider references.

0CVSS vectors
0Timeline events
0ADP providers
8Source links

CVSS and timeline data

No CVSS vectors or timeline events were available in the normalized CVE source material.

Source materials

Affected products

Products and packages named in the record

VendorProductVersion / packageStatus
n/an/an/aListed
Weakness

CWE details

No CWE listed

CWE links open Glexia weakness intelligence pages with official CWE context, developer remediation guidance, and related CVE mappings.