CVE-2023-0417 is a vulnerability identified in the Wireshark network protocol analyzer, specifically within the Network File System (NFS) protocol dissector. The flaw is due to uncontrolled memory allocation that leads to a memory leak when processing certain malformed or maliciously crafted packets or capture files. A memory leak occurs when allocated memory is not properly released, causing the application’s memory usage to grow over time, potentially leading to resource exhaustion and denial of service (DoS). This vulnerability affects Wireshark versions from 3.6.0 up to but not including 3.6.11, and 4.0.0 up to but not including 4.0.3. Exploitation requires no privileges and can be triggered remotely by sending crafted NFS packets or locally by opening a malicious capture file, but user interaction is necessary to open the file or capture the packets. The CVSS v3.1 base score is 6.3, indicating a medium severity level, with attack vector network (AV:N), low attack complexity (AC:L), no privileges required (PR:N), user interaction required (UI:R), and impacts on confidentiality, integrity, and availability (C:L/I:L/A:L). No known exploits have been reported in the wild, but the vulnerability poses a risk of service disruption during network analysis or forensic investigations. The underlying weakness is classified under CWE-404 (Improper Resource Shutdown or Release). No official patches were linked in the provided data, but Wireshark maintainers typically release updates to address such issues promptly.

For European organizations, the primary impact of CVE-2023-0417 is the potential for denial of service during network traffic analysis or forensic investigations using Wireshark. This could disrupt incident response, network troubleshooting, or monitoring activities, leading to delayed detection and remediation of other security incidents. Since Wireshark is widely used by network administrators, security analysts, and researchers, a successful exploit could cause application crashes or excessive memory consumption, potentially affecting the host system’s stability. Although the confidentiality and integrity impacts are rated low, the availability impact could be significant in environments relying heavily on Wireshark for real-time analysis. Organizations that analyze NFS traffic are particularly at risk. The vulnerability does not allow remote code execution or privilege escalation, limiting its impact to DoS conditions. However, in critical infrastructure or large enterprises where network monitoring is essential, even temporary service disruption can have cascading effects. European entities involved in cloud services, telecommunications, and research institutions using Wireshark extensively may face operational challenges if this vulnerability is exploited.

1. Upgrade Wireshark to version 3.6.11, 4.0.3, or later where this vulnerability is fixed. 2. Avoid opening capture files from untrusted or unknown sources, especially those containing NFS traffic. 3. Implement strict network segmentation and filtering to limit exposure to potentially malicious NFS packets, reducing the risk of remote exploitation. 4. Use endpoint protection solutions that monitor and restrict anomalous application behavior, including excessive memory usage by Wireshark. 5. Educate network and security teams about the risks of processing untrusted capture files and encourage verification of file provenance before analysis. 6. Employ sandboxing or isolated environments for analyzing suspicious capture files to contain potential DoS impacts. 7. Monitor Wireshark application logs and system resource usage for signs of abnormal memory consumption during packet analysis. 8. Maintain an up-to-date inventory of Wireshark installations across the organization to ensure timely patching and risk assessment.