CVE-2026-76928Public exploitNetwork attack vector

Crash via nested DistinguishedName NULL dereference

Published Aug 19, 2026 · Updated Aug 20, 2026

NULL pointer dereference in Wireshark 4.6.0 through 4.6.7 and 4.4.0 through 4.4.17 allows attackers to crash the application via malformed X.509IF data. In dissect_x509if_RelativeDistinguishedName, nested DistinguishedName decoding reuses file-static DN/RDN formatter state; the inner decoder clears last_rdn_buf and the outer decoder then calls wmem_strbuf_get_str() with NULL. Reachability includes injected wire traffic and crafted packet captures, and the published evidence bounds the result to a deterministic application crash rather than code execution.

CVSS severity7.5
High
EPSS probability0.27%
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 4.6.0 through 4.6.7 and 4.4.0 through 4.4.17 allows attackers to crash the application via malformed X.509IF data. In dissect_x509if_RelativeDistinguishedName, nested DistinguishedName decoding reuses file-static DN/RDN formatter state; the inner decoder clears last_rdn_buf and the outer decoder then calls wmem_strbuf_get_str() with NULL. Reachability includes injected wire traffic and crafted packet captures, and the published evidence bounds the result to a deterministic application crash rather than code execution.

The record

CVE
CVE-2026-76928
Published
Aug 19, 2026
Updated
Aug 20, 2026
Vendor
Wireshark Foundation
Product
Wireshark
Classifications
CWE-476, T1499
Attack vector
network
Privileges
unauthenticated

Timeline

How it unfolded

  1. Aug 19, 2026CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
  2. 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.

  1. Affected versionversion=4.4.0 <4.4.18
  2. Affected versionversion=4.6.0 <4.6.8

What conditions does exploitation require?

Attack vectornetwork
Required privilegesunauthenticated

What is affected?

Wireshark Foundation · Wiresharkversion=4.4.0 <4.4.18; version=4.6.0 <4.6.8

Published CVSS scores

7.5GitLab Inc.CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/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.

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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-476NULL Pointer Dereference
T1499Endpoint Denial of Service

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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