CVE-2020-9431Public exploitNetwork attack vector

Resource exhaustion via untracked composite TVB buffers

Published Feb 27, 2020 · Updated Aug 4, 2024

LTE RRC memory leak in Wireshark 2.6.0 through 2.6.14, 3.0.0 through 3.0.8, and 3.2.0 through 3.2.1 allows attackers to exhaust resources. Three sites in the generated LTE RRC code append standalone real-data buffers to composite TVBs instead of child buffers tied to the input TVB, leaving their lifetimes untracked. A malformed packet injected onto a monitored network needs no authentication, while the capture-file path requires an operator to open the crafted trace; either path causes excessive CPU use and service interruption.

CVSS severity7.5
High
EPSS probability2.71%
Next 30 days · Sep 16, 2026
Known exploitationUnconfirmed
Based on sourced intelligence
Hinoki checkNot available
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Summary

What happened

LTE RRC memory leak in Wireshark 2.6.0 through 2.6.14, 3.0.0 through 3.0.8, and 3.2.0 through 3.2.1 allows attackers to exhaust resources. Three sites in the generated LTE RRC code append standalone real-data buffers to composite TVBs instead of child buffers tied to the input TVB, leaving their lifetimes untracked. A malformed packet injected onto a monitored network needs no authentication, while the capture-file path requires an operator to open the crafted trace; either path causes excessive CPU use and service interruption.

The record

CVE
CVE-2020-9431
Published
Feb 27, 2020
Updated
Aug 4, 2024
Vendor
Unknown vendor
Product
Unknown product
Classifications
CWE-401, T1499.004
Attack vector
network
Privileges
unauthenticated

Timeline

How it unfolded

  1. Feb 27, 2020CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
  2. Aug 4, 2024Record updatedLatest update available in the CVE record.

Exploitability

Present is not the same as exploitable

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Is a vulnerable build present?

Affected buildAffected product and version details are unavailable.

What conditions does exploitation require?

Attack vectornetwork
Required privilegesunauthenticated

What is affected?

Affected products and versions are unavailable in this record.

Published CVSS scores

7.5NIST NVDCVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H
5.0NIST NVDAV:N/AC:L/Au:N/C:N/I:N/A:P

CVSS describes severity. EPSS estimates exploitation probability.

Attacks

What attackers are doing with it

Daily unique IPs observed by Shadowserver honeypots for known exploited vulnerabilities (KEVs). Missing observations do not establish an absence of attacks.

Daily unique IPsNo honeypot observations are available for this CVE in the selected window.

No observations available

Sep 10, 2026Sep 16, 2026
Latest reporting daySep 16, 2026
Latest daily unique IPsUnavailable
Prior 30-day averageUnavailable
SourceShadowserver honeypots (KEV)
Vectornetwork
Privilegesunauthenticated
Known exploitationUnconfirmed
Public exploitPublished

Weakness, pattern, technique

CWE-401Missing Release of Memory after Effective Lifetime
T1499.004Application or System Exploitation

Public exploit references

Labels summarize the accepted research assessment. They do not indicate a test against your environment.

Technologies

Your stack

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Your stack

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