Security readout for executives and security teams
Plain-English summary
CVE-2018-9265 is a Wireshark memory leak in the TN3270 dissector. It affects Wireshark 2.4.0 through 2.4.5 and 2.2.0 through 2.2.13. The likely business impact is tool instability or resource exhaustion when affected Wireshark versions process relevant traffic or captures.
Executive priority
Handle through normal vulnerability maintenance unless affected Wireshark is used heavily on shared analysis infrastructure. Prioritize patching where untrusted captures are routinely opened or automated packet processing is exposed to external data.
Technical view
The issue is in epan/dissectors/packet-tn3270.c and is described as a memory leak. The source bundle does not provide CVSS, CWE, or detailed impact. Public references include a Wireshark advisory, bug report, Debian LTS update, and upstream commit.
Likely exposure
Exposure is most likely on analyst workstations, servers, or automated pipelines running affected Wireshark versions and dissecting TN3270-related packet data. Organizations not using Wireshark 2.2.x or 2.4.x in the affected ranges are unlikely to be exposed.
Exploitation context
The source bundle does not show CISA KEV listing or active exploitation. It identifies a memory leak, not code execution. Treat this as a stability and resource-consumption risk unless vendor sources establish a stronger impact.
Researcher notes
Evidence is sparse in the source bundle: no CVSS, CWE, or exploit details are provided. The most useful technical references are the Wireshark advisory, bug 14480, Debian LTS notice, and upstream commit.
Mitigation direction
- Upgrade affected Wireshark installations according to Wireshark vendor guidance.
- Apply Debian LTS security updates where Wireshark comes from Debian packages.
- Reduce use of affected versions for untrusted capture analysis.
- Check the upstream advisory before selecting a fixed replacement version.
Validation and detection
- Inventory Wireshark versions across analyst systems and packet-processing hosts.
- Flag versions 2.4.0-2.4.5 and 2.2.0-2.2.13 as affected.
- Confirm package update status on Debian-managed systems.
- Review whether TN3270 traffic or captures are processed in workflows.
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-2018-9265 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=14480CVE reference · x_refsource_MISC
- https://www.wireshark.org/security/wnpa-sec-2018-24.htmlCVE reference · x_refsource_MISC
- [debian-lts-announce] 20190115 [SECURITY] [DLA 1634-1] wireshark security updateCVE reference · mailing-list, x_refsource_MLIST
- https://code.wireshark.org/review/gitweb?p=wireshark.git%3Ba=commit%3Bh=b12cc581cd4878d74b6116ca02c7dbe650c1f242CVE reference · x_refsource_MISC
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.