CVE-2023-1992 is a vulnerability identified in the RPCoRDMA dissector component of Wireshark, a widely used network protocol analyzer. The flaw exists in Wireshark versions 3.6.0 through 3.6.12 and 4.0.0 through 4.0.4. It is caused by a buffer over-read condition, where the dissector improperly processes crafted packets or capture files containing malformed RPCoRDMA protocol data. This improper handling leads to a crash of the Wireshark application, resulting in a denial of service (DoS) condition. The vulnerability does not require privileges or authentication but does require user interaction, such as opening a malicious capture file or receiving a crafted packet during live capture. The CVSS v3.1 base score is 6.3, reflecting a medium severity level with network attack vector, low attack complexity, no privileges required, but user interaction needed. The impact includes potential leakage of sensitive data due to buffer over-read and disruption of network analysis operations due to application crashes. There are no known public exploits in the wild at this time, but the vulnerability poses a risk to environments where Wireshark is used for security monitoring, troubleshooting, or forensic analysis. The root cause relates to CWE-400, indicating uncontrolled resource consumption leading to DoS. Since Wireshark is commonly used by network administrators, security analysts, and incident responders, exploitation could disrupt critical monitoring activities. The vulnerability is mitigated by upgrading to fixed versions 3.6.13 or 4.0.5 and later, which address the buffer over-read issue. Additionally, cautious handling of capture files from untrusted sources and running Wireshark in sandboxed environments can reduce risk.

For European organizations, the primary impact of CVE-2023-1992 is operational disruption due to denial of service when Wireshark crashes upon processing maliciously crafted packets or capture files. This can hinder network monitoring, incident response, and forensic investigations, potentially delaying detection and mitigation of other security incidents. The buffer over-read may also lead to limited information disclosure, affecting confidentiality. Organizations relying heavily on Wireshark for real-time network analysis or security operations centers (SOCs) could experience reduced visibility and increased risk exposure. While no privilege escalation or remote code execution is involved, the disruption of critical security tools can indirectly impact the integrity and availability of network defenses. The requirement for user interaction means that social engineering or inadvertent opening of malicious files is a likely exploitation vector. Given the widespread use of Wireshark in European enterprises, government agencies, and critical infrastructure sectors, the vulnerability could affect a broad range of organizations, especially those with less mature patch management or security awareness programs.

To mitigate CVE-2023-1992, European organizations should: 1) Immediately upgrade Wireshark to versions 3.6.13, 4.0.5, or later where the vulnerability is patched. 2) Implement strict policies to avoid opening capture files from untrusted or unknown sources. 3) Use sandboxing or containerization techniques to isolate Wireshark processes, limiting the impact of potential crashes. 4) Educate users and analysts about the risks of handling unverified capture files and encourage verification of file provenance. 5) Employ network segmentation and monitoring to detect and block malicious RPCoRDMA traffic that could trigger the vulnerability. 6) Integrate automated patch management to ensure timely updates of Wireshark and related tools. 7) Consider alternative analysis tools or offline analysis environments for suspicious capture files. 8) Maintain robust incident response plans to quickly recover from potential denial of service events affecting network analysis capabilities.