CVE-2023-0413 is a vulnerability identified in the Wireshark network protocol analyzer, specifically affecting versions 3.6.0 through 3.6.10 and 4.0.0 through 4.0.2. The root cause is a null pointer dereference within the dissection engine, which is responsible for parsing and interpreting network traffic data. When Wireshark processes a specially crafted capture file or receives maliciously crafted packets, the flaw can be triggered, causing the application to crash and resulting in a denial of service (DoS). The vulnerability is exploitable remotely without requiring authentication or privileges but does require user interaction, such as opening a malicious capture file. The CVSS v3.1 base score is 6.3, reflecting a medium severity level due to the impact on availability and the ease of exploitation. The vulnerability does not compromise confidentiality or integrity directly, nor does it allow code execution. No public exploits have been reported, and no patches were linked in the provided data, but it is expected that Wireshark Foundation has addressed this in subsequent releases. The CWE classification is CWE-404, indicating improper handling of null pointers. This vulnerability primarily threatens operational continuity for users relying on Wireshark for network monitoring and forensic analysis.

For European organizations, the primary impact of CVE-2023-0413 is operational disruption due to denial of service. Wireshark is widely used by network administrators, security analysts, and incident responders across Europe for traffic analysis and troubleshooting. A successful exploitation could cause Wireshark to crash, potentially delaying incident response or network diagnostics. This could be particularly critical in sectors requiring continuous monitoring such as finance, telecommunications, and critical infrastructure. While the vulnerability does not lead to data breaches or privilege escalation, the interruption of network analysis tools can indirectly increase risk exposure by delaying detection of other threats. Additionally, organizations that share capture files or rely on automated processing of capture data may be vulnerable to supply chain or insider threats if malicious files are introduced. The lack of known exploits reduces immediate risk but does not eliminate the threat, especially as attackers may develop exploits over time.

1. Upgrade Wireshark immediately to versions 3.6.11 or 4.0.3 or later, where this vulnerability is fixed. 2. Implement strict policies to validate and verify the source of capture files before opening them in Wireshark. 3. Use sandboxing or isolated environments when analyzing untrusted capture files to contain potential crashes. 4. Employ network segmentation and filtering to reduce exposure to malicious packet injection, especially on networks where Wireshark is used. 5. Educate users on the risks of opening capture files from untrusted sources and enforce least privilege principles for users running Wireshark. 6. Monitor Wireshark usage logs and system stability to detect abnormal crashes that may indicate exploitation attempts. 7. Consider alternative or complementary network analysis tools with robust security controls for critical environments.