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CVE Record

CVE-2018-9269: In Wireshark 2.4.0 to 2.4.5 and 2.2.0 to 2.2.13, epan/dissectors/packet-giop.c has a memory leak.

In Wireshark 2.4.0 to 2.4.5 and 2.2.0 to 2.2.13, epan/dissectors/packet-giop.c has a memory leak.

UnknownCVSS not scoredNot KEV-listedUpdated
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Glexia's TakeAutomated analysismoderate

Security readout for executives and security teams

Plain-English summary

CVE-2018-9269 is a Wireshark memory leak in the GIOP packet dissector affecting Wireshark 2.4.0 through 2.4.5 and 2.2.0 through 2.2.13. The main business risk is analyst workstation or monitoring process instability when processing affected traffic or captures, not data theft based on the provided evidence.

Executive priority

Treat as a routine but real availability issue. Prioritize remediation on analyst workstations, packet capture review systems, and monitoring environments that handle untrusted traffic or files.

Technical view

The issue is in Wireshark's epan/dissectors/packet-giop.c. The public bundle describes only a memory leak, with no CVSS vector, CWE, or detailed trigger conditions. Exposure centers on vulnerable Wireshark builds parsing GIOP-related packets in live traffic or capture files.

Likely exposure

Organizations are exposed if they still run Wireshark 2.4.0-2.4.5 or 2.2.0-2.2.13, especially on systems that inspect untrusted packet captures or live network traffic.

Exploitation context

CISA KEV status is false, and the provided sources do not show active exploitation. The source bundle does not provide exploit details or proof-of-concept status.

Researcher notes

The public bundle is sparse: it identifies the affected versions, component, and memory leak class, but not CVSS, CWE, exploitability, or precise trigger conditions. Avoid stronger claims without reviewing the Wireshark advisory, bug, and commit directly.

Mitigation direction

  • Inventory Wireshark installations and identify affected 2.4.x and 2.2.x versions.
  • Apply Wireshark or OS vendor security updates from trusted channels.
  • Use Debian LTS advisories where Debian-packaged Wireshark is deployed.
  • Restrict handling of untrusted capture files until vulnerable installations are updated.
  • Check Wireshark advisory WNPA-SEC-2018-24 for vendor-specific remediation details.

Validation and detection

  • Confirm installed Wireshark versions are outside the affected ranges.
  • Review package manager history for Wireshark security updates.
  • Check whether vulnerable systems process untrusted packet captures or live traffic.
  • Verify updated systems can still parse required captures without operational regression.
  • Document any remaining legacy Wireshark instances and compensating controls.
Prepared
Confidence
medium
Sources
7

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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CVE-2018-9269 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
6Source 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.