CVE-2018-6836 Explained : Impact and Mitigation

A vulnerability has been identified in Wireshark versions up to and including 2.4.4, allowing remote attackers to cause a denial of service situation by exploiting an uninitialized memory address in the netmonrec_comment_destroy function.

Understanding CVE-2018-6836

This CVE involves a flaw in Wireshark versions up to 2.4.4 that could lead to a denial of service attack.

What is CVE-2018-6836?

The vulnerability in the netmonrec_comment_destroy function of Wireshark versions up to 2.4.4 allows attackers to crash the application remotely.

The Impact of CVE-2018-6836

Attackers can exploit this flaw remotely, causing a denial of service situation where the application crashes.
There may be additional unspecified impacts resulting from this vulnerability.

Technical Details of CVE-2018-6836

Wireshark vulnerability details.

Vulnerability Description

The netmonrec_comment_destroy function in Wireshark versions up to 2.4.4 performs a free operation on an uninitialized memory address.

Affected Systems and Versions

Affected versions: Wireshark up to and including 2.4.4

Exploitation Mechanism

Attackers exploit the flaw in the netmonrec_comment_destroy function to remotely crash the application.

Mitigation and Prevention

Protecting systems from CVE-2018-6836.

Immediate Steps to Take

Update Wireshark to a version beyond 2.4.4 to mitigate the vulnerability.
Monitor security advisories for patches or workarounds.

Long-Term Security Practices

Regularly update software to the latest versions to address known vulnerabilities.
Implement network security measures to detect and prevent remote attacks.

Patching and Updates

Apply patches and updates provided by Wireshark to fix the vulnerability.