Security readout for executives and security teams
Plain-English summary
CVE-2016-4419 is a Wireshark denial-of-service flaw in the SPICE protocol dissector. A specially crafted packet can make affected Wireshark versions enter a large loop, potentially freezing or crashing analysis. This affects Wireshark 2.x before 2.0.2. It is not listed as CISA KEV in the provided data.
Executive priority
Prioritize remediation for SOC and network-analysis systems that process untrusted captures. Business risk is operational disruption to analysis workflows, not confirmed compromise. Upgrade during normal security maintenance unless Wireshark is exposed to hostile traffic at scale.
Technical view
The issue is in epan/dissectors/packet-spice.c. Wireshark 2.x before 2.0.2 mishandles SPICE capability data, allowing a remote attacker to trigger denial of service through crafted packet content. The provided sources do not include CVSS, CWE, CPE, or detailed exploitability metrics.
Likely exposure
Exposure is most likely where analysts, SOC tooling, or automated systems open or process untrusted packet captures or live network traffic containing SPICE protocol data using Wireshark 2.x before 2.0.2.
Exploitation context
The documented impact is denial of service, not code execution or data theft. Exploitation requires Wireshark to dissect crafted traffic or a crafted capture. No active exploitation is stated in the provided sources, and the CVE is not marked KEV.
Researcher notes
The public record identifies a SPICE dissector capability-data handling issue fixed before Wireshark 2.0.2. The source bundle lacks CVSS, CWE, affected CPEs, and evidence of exploitation in the wild. Treat vendor advisory and bug record as primary references.
Mitigation direction
- Upgrade Wireshark 2.x installations to version 2.0.2 or later.
- Check Wireshark’s security advisory for any environment-specific guidance.
- Limit analysis of untrusted captures on vulnerable Wireshark versions.
- Use isolated analysis systems when handling suspicious packet captures.
Validation and detection
- Inventory Wireshark versions on analyst workstations and packet-processing systems.
- Flag Wireshark 2.x versions earlier than 2.0.2 as vulnerable.
- Confirm whether SPICE traffic or captures are analyzed in the environment.
- Review vendor advisory WNPA-SEC-2016-16 for confirmation.
Public sources used
Generated from the cited source records. This long-tail analysis has not been individually reviewed by a named human.
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
Use these exact CWE pages and searches to review the Glexia ATT&CK library from this CVE's weakness and description context.
CVE-2016-4419 mapping review
Open the CVE-to-ATT&CK bridge for reviewed, inferred, or future official mappings tied to this CVE.
Open ATT&CK lookup- Severity
- Unknown
- CVSS
- Not scored
- Known Exploited
- No
- Published
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.
CVSS and timeline data
No CVSS vectors or timeline events were available in the normalized CVE source material.
Source materials
- CVE List V5 sourceCVE List V5
- https://bugs.wireshark.org/bugzilla/show_bug.cgi?id=12151CVE reference · x_refsource_CONFIRM
- https://www.wireshark.org/security/wnpa-sec-2016-16.htmlCVE reference · x_refsource_CONFIRM
Products and packages named in the record
CWE details
CWE links open Glexia weakness intelligence pages with official CWE context, developer remediation guidance, and related CVE mappings.