CVE-2024-0207: Wireshark 4.2.0 HTTP3 Dissector Crash Causing Denial of Service

Overview

Wireshark, the widely-used network protocol analyzer, has been found to harbor a critical vulnerability tagged as CVE-2024-0207. This vulnerability affects Wireshark v4.2.0 and could potentially lead to a denial of service (DoS) attack. An attacker could exploit this weakness through packet injection or a meticulously crafted capture file, which would crash the HTTP3 dissector. The vulnerability is significant as it could potentially lead to a system compromise or data leakage, making it a substantial threat to the integrity, availability, and confidentiality of information.

Vulnerability Summary

CVE ID: CVE-2024-0207
Severity: High (7.8 CVSS)
Attack Vector: Network
Privileges Required: None
User Interaction: None
Impact: Potential system compromise or data leakage

Affected Products

Product | Affected Versions

Wireshark | 4.2.0

How the Exploit Works

The vulnerability stems from the HTTP3 dissector module within Wireshark 4.2.0. An attacker can leverage this vulnerability by injecting malicious packets into the network stream being analyzed or crafting a capture file that triggers the bug. This crash could lead to potential system compromise, data leakage, or denial of service, rendering the system unresponsive and unavailable for legitimate users.

Conceptual Example Code

Below is a conceptual example of an HTTP3 packet that could be used to exploit this vulnerability. Please note that this is a simplified representation and a real-world attack would require a more complex payload.

POST / HTTP/3
Host: target.example.com
Content-Type: application/http3
{ "malicious_packet": "Exploit_CVE-2024-0207" }

Upon receiving this packet, the HTTP3 dissector in Wireshark 4.2.0 would crash, causing a denial of service. If the attacker has additional exploits at their disposal, they could potentially escalate this attack to compromise the system or leak data.

Mitigation

Users of the affected Wireshark version are strongly recommended to apply the vendor-supplied patch promptly. In case the patch cannot be applied immediately, users can employ a Web Application Firewall (WAF) or an Intrusion Detection System (IDS) as a temporary mitigation measure. These systems can be configured to detect and block the malicious packets associated with this exploit, minimizing the risk of a successful attack.