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CVE Record

CVE-2018-9262: In Wireshark 2.4.0 to 2.4.5 and 2.2.0 to 2.2.13, the VLAN dissector could crash.

In Wireshark 2.4.0 to 2.4.5 and 2.2.0 to 2.2.13, the VLAN dissector could crash. This was addressed in epan/dissectors/packet-vlan.c by limiting VLAN tag nesting to restrict the recursion depth.

UnknownCVSS not scoredNot KEV-listedUpdated
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Glexia's TakeAutomated analysismoderate

Security readout for executives and security teams

Plain-English summary

This Wireshark flaw can make the application crash when it processes traffic or capture files with deeply nested VLAN tags. It is primarily an availability issue for analyst workstations and packet-analysis workflows, not evidence of system takeover. The provided sources do not give CVSS scoring or confirmed exploitation.

Executive priority

Prioritize normal security patching for teams that handle external packet captures or network evidence. This is not supported as actively exploited in the provided sources, but it can disrupt investigations or monitoring by crashing analysis tools.

Technical view

Wireshark 2.4.0 through 2.4.5 and 2.2.0 through 2.2.13 have a VLAN dissector recursion-depth issue. Excessive VLAN tag nesting could crash the dissector. The source bundle states the fix limits VLAN tag nesting in epan/dissectors/packet-vlan.c to restrict recursion depth.

Likely exposure

Exposure is most likely where affected Wireshark versions inspect untrusted live traffic or imported packet captures. This includes security analysts, network operations teams, forensic workflows, and automated tshark-style packet processing if based on the affected releases.

Exploitation context

The source bundle supports a crash condition in the VLAN dissector. It does not identify active exploitation, and KEV is false. Treat this as a denial-of-service risk against packet analysis tools when processing malicious or malformed traffic data.

Researcher notes

The root issue is uncontrolled recursion from VLAN tag nesting in the dissector. The stated remediation is a code change limiting nesting depth. Evidence is incomplete for CVSS, exploit maturity, or broader product impact beyond Wireshark and downstream packages.

Mitigation direction

  • Upgrade Wireshark from affected 2.4.x and 2.2.x releases to vendor-supported fixed releases.
  • Apply relevant operating-system security updates, including distribution Wireshark packages where applicable.
  • Avoid processing untrusted packet captures on vulnerable analyst workstations until upgraded.
  • Check the Wireshark advisory and vendor packaging guidance for exact fixed versions.

Validation and detection

  • Inventory Wireshark versions on analyst endpoints and packet-processing systems.
  • Confirm no systems remain on Wireshark 2.4.0-2.4.5 or 2.2.0-2.2.13.
  • Verify distro package advisories were applied where Wireshark is OS-managed.
  • Review workflows that automatically parse untrusted captures with Wireshark components.
Prepared
Confidence
high
Sources
6

Public sources used

Generated from the cited source records. This long-tail analysis has not been individually reviewed by a named human.

Potential ATT&CK relevance

Conservative CVE-to-ATT&CK context

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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
5Source 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

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