CPU exhaustion via unbounded timestamp normalization loop
Published Sep 29, 2026 · Updated Sep 29, 2026
Denial of service in Wireshark 4.4.0 through 4.4.18 and 4.6.0 through 4.6.8 lets attackers stall trace analysis via a crafted NetMon file. In wiretap/netmon.c, netmon_process_record() normalizes an attacker-controlled timestamp delta with a one-second-at-a-time loop that can run billions of times. The victim must open or ingest the supplied capture; the demonstrated consequence is sustained CPU use, not code execution or data disclosure.
Summary
What happened
Denial of service in Wireshark 4.4.0 through 4.4.18 and 4.6.0 through 4.6.8 lets attackers stall trace analysis via a crafted NetMon file. In wiretap/netmon.c, netmon_process_record() normalizes an attacker-controlled timestamp delta with a one-second-at-a-time loop that can run billions of times. The victim must open or ingest the supplied capture; the demonstrated consequence is sustained CPU use, not code execution or data disclosure.
The record
- CVE
- CVE-2026-95394
- Published
- Sep 29, 2026
- Updated
- Sep 29, 2026
- Vendor
- Wireshark Foundation
- Product
- Wireshark
- Classifications
- T1499.004
- Attack vector
- local
- Privileges
- unauthenticated
Timeline
How it unfolded
- Sep 29, 2026CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
- Sep 29, 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 <4.4.19
- Affected versionversion=4.6.0 <4.6.9
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.
Activity data is delayed. The latest report is Sep 28, 2026.
Weakness, pattern, technique
Public exploit references
- NetMon negative-timestamp CPU DoS proof of conceptproof of concept · demonstrated
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Technologies
Your stack
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Your stack
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