Cyber Resilience

CVE-2026-0961

Memory Safety in Wireshark 4.4.0 – 4.4.13

Public PoCMemory Safety
Published
14 January 2026
Modified
21 January 2026
Patch / advisory
CVSS Score v3.1 5.5
Click a component to see what it means
Raw vectorCVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H
EPSS Score 0.0017 7th percentile
Risk Priority 35 floored blend · peak EPSS

Summary

CVE-2026-0961 is a medium-severity Out-of-bounds Write (CWE-787) vulnerability in Wireshark Wireshark. Its CVSS base score is 5.5 (Medium).

Operationally, exploitation aligns with the MITRE ATT&CK technique Application or System Exploitation (T1499.004); ranked at the 7th percentile by exploit likelihood (below the median); it is not currently listed in the CISA KEV catalog; a public proof-of-concept is referenced.

The strongest mitigations our analysis identified map to SI-10 (Information Input Validation) and SI-2 (Flaw Remediation) — see the control section below for these in your framework.

EU & UK References

Vulnerability Data

BLF file parser crash in Wireshark 4.6.0 to 4.6.2 and 4.4.0 to 4.4.12 allows denial of service

CWE(s)

Related Threats

MITRE ATT&CK Enterprise TechniquesAI

T1499.004 Application or System Exploitation Impact
Adversaries may exploit software vulnerabilities that can cause an application or system to crash and deny availability to users.
Why these techniques?

Out-of-bounds write in file parser directly enables application DoS via malicious file (T1499.004).

Confidence: MEDIUM · MITRE ATT&CK Enterprise v19.0

CVEs Like This One

CVE-2025-5601Same product: Wireshark Wireshark
CVE-2024-8250Same product: Wireshark Wireshark
CVE-2023-0667Same product: Wireshark Wireshark
CVE-2023-2854Same product: Wireshark Wireshark
CVE-2023-2856Same product: Wireshark Wireshark
CVE-2023-2855Same product: Wireshark Wireshark
CVE-2023-2857Same product: Wireshark Wireshark
CVE-2023-2858Same product: Wireshark Wireshark
CVE-2023-0668Same product: Wireshark Wireshark
CVE-2023-0666Same product: Wireshark Wireshark

Affected Assets

wireshark
wireshark
4.4.0 — 4.4.13 · 4.6.0 — 4.6.3

Mitigating Controls

Control response

Prevent
Stop it (NIST 800-53)
  • SI-10 Information Input Validation
  • SI-2 Flaw Remediation
  • SI-16 Memory Protection
Detect
Catch it (NIST detect / respond)

Harden
Shrink the surface (DISA STIG)

Validate
Prove the fix (OWASP ASVS)

Mitigating Controls (NIST 800-53 r5) AI

prevent

Directly enforces validation of untrusted file input (BLF) to block the out-of-bounds write that triggers the parser crash.

prevent

Requires timely patching of the Wireshark flaw (CWE-787) so the vulnerable parser versions are no longer present.

prevent

Applies memory-protection mechanisms that can contain or prevent successful exploitation of the out-of-bounds write, limiting DoS impact.

Mitigating Controls (NIST CSF 2.0) AI

Derived directly from the weakness types (CWEs) cited in the NVD entry via our AI-authored CWE→CSF cross-walk (authority under review) — links open the control.

PR.PS-06 mostly match
prevents

Secure-development practices (static analysis, bounds checking, code review) are the primary means of preventing out-of-bounds writes.

ID.RA-01 partial match
prevents

Vulnerability scanning and recording can discover out-of-bounds write flaws so they can be remediated.

PR.PS-02 partial match
prevents

Patching or replacing vulnerable software directly eliminates known instances of this coding weakness.

Mitigating Controls (ISO/IEC 27001:2022 Annex A) AI

Derived directly from the weakness types (CWEs) cited in the NVD entry via our AI-authored CWE→ISO cross-walk (authority under review) — links open the control.

detects

Security testing in development and acceptance can detect and prevent out-of-bounds write defects.

prevents

Secure development life cycle mandates practices that prevent out-of-bounds writes.

prevents

Application security requirements can specify bounds-checking and safe memory handling.

prevents

Secure architecture and engineering principles reduce the likelihood of buffer overflows.

prevents

Secure coding directly addresses out-of-bounds writes through language choice and coding standards.

prevents

Change management can enforce review gates that catch unsafe memory operations before deployment.

References