High · published November 21, 2025
⚡ A simple malformed Kafka packet can crash Wireshark, leaving your network analysis in the dust! Think of it like a restaurant where one bad order causes the entire kitchen to shut down — a single wrong dish brings everything to a halt! This means that an attacker could exploit this vulnerability to trigger a denial of service, preventing your team from analyzing crucial network traffic. If Wireshark crashes during an investigation, important data could be lost, and troubleshooting could become unnecessarily complicated.
Think of it like a restaurant where one bad order causes the entire kitchen to shut down — a single wrong dish brings everything to a halt! The vulnerability lies in the Kafka dissector of Wireshark versions 4.6.0 and 4.4.0 to 4.4.10, where malformed packets can lead to a crash, disrupting the application's ability to analyze traffic.
This means that an attacker could exploit this vulnerability to trigger a denial of service, preventing your team from analyzing crucial network traffic. If Wireshark crashes during an investigation, important data could be lost, and troubleshooting could become unnecessarily complicated. To protect yourself from this mishap, upgrade to Wireshark version 4.6.1 or later immediately. Regularly check for updates to maintain the security and stability of your network analysis tools. You've got this! With these steps, you can keep your network analysis running smoothly and secure! 🛡️
| Product | Versions | Fixed in |
|---|---|---|
| wireshark/wireshark | ≥ 4.4.0, < 4.4.11 | 4.4.11 |
| wireshark/wireshark | all versions | — |