CVE-2026-15171Public exploit

Packet-analysis crash via malformed SSH decryption secrets

Published Jul 8, 2026 · Updated Jul 8, 2026

NULL pointer dereference in Wireshark 4.4.0 through 4.4.16 and 4.6.0 through 4.6.6 allows attackers to crash packet-analysis tools. ssh_keylog_process_line accepts empty or oversized hexadecimal tokens, then dereferences a NULL value returned by ssh_kex_make_bignum. Exploitation requires a user or automated workflow to open an attacker-supplied pcapng file; ordinary SSH traffic cannot trigger the flaw.

CVSS severity5.5
Medium
EPSS probability0.12%
Next 30 days · Sep 16, 2026
Known exploitationUnconfirmed
Based on sourced intelligence
Hinoki checkNot available
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Summary

What happened

NULL pointer dereference in Wireshark 4.4.0 through 4.4.16 and 4.6.0 through 4.6.6 allows attackers to crash packet-analysis tools. ssh_keylog_process_line accepts empty or oversized hexadecimal tokens, then dereferences a NULL value returned by ssh_kex_make_bignum. Exploitation requires a user or automated workflow to open an attacker-supplied pcapng file; ordinary SSH traffic cannot trigger the flaw.

The record

CVE
CVE-2026-15171
Published
Jul 8, 2026
Updated
Jul 8, 2026
Vendor
Wireshark Foundation
Product
Wireshark
Classifications
CWE-476, T1499.004, T1204.002
Attack vector
local
Privileges
unauthenticated

Timeline

How it unfolded

  1. Jul 8, 2026CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
  2. Jul 8, 2026Record updatedLatest update available in the CVE record.

Exploitability

Present is not the same as exploitable

Compare your product and version with the public record. A matching version still requires validation against your environment.

Is a vulnerable build present?

Compare these published version ranges with your installed build and any vendor patches.

  1. Affected versionversion=4.4.0 <4.4.17
  2. Affected versionversion=4.6.0 <4.6.7

What conditions does exploitation require?

Attack vectorlocal
Required privilegesunauthenticated

What is affected?

Wireshark Foundation · Wiresharkversion=4.4.0 <4.4.17; version=4.6.0 <4.6.7

Published CVSS scores

5.5GitLab Inc.CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H

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)
Vectorlocal
Privilegesunauthenticated
Known exploitationUnconfirmed
Public exploitPublished

Weakness, pattern, technique

CWE-476NULL Pointer Dereference
T1499.004Endpoint Denial of Service: Application or System Exploitation
T1204.002User Execution: Malicious File

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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