Denial of service via ERF gen_time over-read
Published Aug 19, 2026 · Updated Aug 20, 2026
Buffer over-read in the ERF file parser in Wireshark 4.6.0 through 4.6.7 and 4.4.0 through 4.4.17 allows remote attackers to crash the application via a malformed capture file. The ERF metadata parser accepts a short gen_time tag at the end of a record, then populate_summary_info copies eight bytes from tag.value without verifying that the tag actually contains eight value bytes, causing an out-of-bounds read past the record buffer. Exploitation requires convincing a user to open a crafted ERF capture file in Wireshark or a bundled reader such as TShark, Capinfos, or Editcap, and the published impact is limited to application crash or abnormal termination.
Summary
What happened
Buffer over-read in the ERF file parser in Wireshark 4.6.0 through 4.6.7 and 4.4.0 through 4.4.17 allows remote attackers to crash the application via a malformed capture file. The ERF metadata parser accepts a short gen_time tag at the end of a record, then populate_summary_info copies eight bytes from tag.value without verifying that the tag actually contains eight value bytes, causing an out-of-bounds read past the record buffer. Exploitation requires convincing a user to open a crafted ERF capture file in Wireshark or a bundled reader such as TShark, Capinfos, or Editcap, and the published impact is limited to application crash or abnormal termination.
The record
- CVE
- CVE-2026-76884
- Published
- Aug 19, 2026
- Updated
- Aug 20, 2026
- Vendor
- Wireshark Foundation
- Product
- Wireshark
- Classifications
- CWE-126, T1204.002
- Attack vector
- network
- Privileges
- unauthenticated
Timeline
How it unfolded
- Aug 19, 2026CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
- Aug 20, 2026Record updatedLatest update available in the CVE record.
Exploitability
Present is not the same as exploitable
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Is a vulnerable build present?
Compare these published version ranges with your installed build and any vendor patches.
- Affected versionversion=4.4.0 <4.4.18
- Affected versionversion=4.6.0 <4.6.8
What conditions does exploitation require?
What is affected?
Published CVSS scores
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.
Public exploit references
No public exploit references are available in this record.
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Technologies
Your stack
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Your stack
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