CVE-2018-14342 : Vulnerability Insights and Analysis

Wireshark versions 2.6.0 to 2.6.1, 2.4.0 to 2.4.7, and 2.2.0 to 2.2.15 were affected by a BGP protocol dissector issue that could lead to an extensive loop.

Understanding CVE-2018-14342

What is CVE-2018-14342?

The BGP protocol dissector in Wireshark versions mentioned had a vulnerability that could cause it to enter into a large loop due to unvalidated Path Attribute lengths.

The Impact of CVE-2018-14342

This vulnerability could potentially lead to denial of service (DoS) by causing the BGP protocol dissector to consume excessive resources.

Technical Details of CVE-2018-14342

Vulnerability Description

The issue in Wireshark versions allowed the BGP protocol dissector to enter an extensive loop due to unvalidated Path Attribute lengths.

Affected Systems and Versions

Wireshark versions 2.6.0 to 2.6.1
Wireshark versions 2.4.0 to 2.4.7
Wireshark versions 2.2.0 to 2.2.15

Exploitation Mechanism

Attackers could exploit this vulnerability by sending specially crafted BGP packets to the affected Wireshark versions, triggering the extensive loop.

Mitigation and Prevention

Immediate Steps to Take

Update Wireshark to the latest patched version to mitigate the vulnerability.
Avoid processing untrusted BGP packets with the affected Wireshark versions.

Long-Term Security Practices

Regularly update and patch software to address known vulnerabilities.
Implement network segmentation to limit the impact of potential attacks.
Monitor network traffic for any suspicious BGP packet behavior.

Patching and Updates

Ensure that all instances of Wireshark within the network are updated to the latest versions that contain the fix for the BGP protocol dissector issue.