CVE-2026-3201
Published: 25 February 2026
Summary
CVE-2026-3201 is a medium-severity Improperly Controlled Sequential Memory Allocation (CWE-1325) vulnerability in Wireshark Wireshark. Its CVSS base score is 4.7 (Medium).
Operationally, exploitation aligns with the MITRE ATT&CK technique Malicious File (T1204.002); ranked at the 10.0th percentile by exploit likelihood (below the median); it is not currently listed in the CISA KEV catalog; a public proof-of-concept is referenced.
Threat & Defense at a Glance
Threat & Defense Details
Likely Mitigating ControlsAI
Per-CVE control mapping for this CVE has not run yet; the list below is derived from the weakness types (CWEs) cited in the NVD entry.
This control implements explicit throttling on session allocation, addressing the weakness of allocating resources without limits.
Plan testing exercises resource allocation limits and throttling during simulated failures, directly addressing weaknesses that allow unbounded resource use.
Contingency plan updates ensure recovery strategies address unbounded resource allocation, making it harder for attackers to exploit lack of throttling to cause prolonged outages.
Provides continuity when unbounded resource allocation at the primary site leads to exhaustion and downtime.
Alternate services allow operations to continue when primary allocation of resources lacks limits or throttling.
Explicit planning of security-related actions requires defining limits, windows, and resource allocations, making allocation without throttling far less likely.
Measures of performance include tracking allocation behavior and throttling effectiveness, reducing the window for resource exhaustion attacks.
Imposes an inactivity-based limit on network resource allocation, throttling the number of concurrently held connections.
MITRE ATT&CK Enterprise TechniquesAI
Why these techniques?
Vulnerability is triggered by opening a crafted capture file (T1204.002 Malicious File under User Execution) and directly enables application-level DoS via memory exhaustion (T1499.004 Application or System Exploitation).
NVD Description
USB HID protocol dissector memory exhaustion in Wireshark 4.6.0 to 4.6.3 and 4.4.0 to 4.4.13 allows denial of service
Deeper analysisAI
CVE-2026-3201 is a memory exhaustion vulnerability in the USB HID protocol dissector within Wireshark versions 4.6.0 through 4.6.3 and 4.4.0 through 4.4.13. Published on 2026-02-25T15:20:55.617, the issue enables denial of service and carries a CVSS v3.1 base score of 4.7 (AV:L/AC:H/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H). It is linked to CWE-1325 (Improperly Controlled Sequential Memory Allocation) and CWE-770 (Allocation of Resources Without Limits or Throttling).
The vulnerability can be exploited by an unprivileged local attacker who convinces a user to open a malicious packet capture file in an affected Wireshark instance. Exploitation requires local access vector, high attack complexity, and user interaction, such as loading the crafted file, but no special privileges. Successful exploitation leads to high-impact availability disruption through memory exhaustion, with no confidentiality or integrity effects.
Wireshark advisories provide mitigation guidance, including details in WNPA-SEC-2026-05 at https://www.wireshark.org/security/wnpa-sec-2026-05.html and the related GitLab issue at https://gitlab.com/wireshark/wireshark/-/issues/20972.
Details
- CWE(s)