CVE-2024-0209 is a high-severity vulnerability identified in the Wireshark network protocol analyzer, specifically affecting versions 3.6.0 through 3.6.19, 4.0.0 through 4.0.11, and version 4.2.0. The vulnerability is classified under CWE-476, which corresponds to a NULL Pointer Dereference. This flaw occurs within the IEEE 1609.2 dissector component of Wireshark, a module responsible for parsing and analyzing packets related to the IEEE 1609.2 standard used in vehicular communication security. The vulnerability can be triggered by processing a specially crafted packet or capture file that causes the dissector to dereference a NULL pointer, leading to a crash of the Wireshark application. This results in a denial of service (DoS) condition, where the application becomes unresponsive or terminates unexpectedly. The CVSS v3.1 base score of 7.8 reflects a high severity, with the vector indicating that the attack requires local access (AV:L), low complexity (AC:L), no privileges (PR:N), but does require user interaction (UI:R). The impact affects confidentiality, integrity, and availability (C:H/I:H/A:H), meaning that the vulnerability could potentially be exploited to disrupt network traffic analysis and compromise the reliability of forensic or diagnostic activities dependent on Wireshark. Although no known exploits are currently reported in the wild, the vulnerability represents a significant risk to users who open untrusted capture files or receive maliciously crafted packets, especially in environments where Wireshark is used for security monitoring or incident response.

For European organizations, the impact of CVE-2024-0209 is primarily related to operational disruption and potential security monitoring blind spots. Wireshark is widely used by network administrators, security analysts, and incident responders across various sectors including telecommunications, finance, critical infrastructure, and government agencies. A successful exploitation could cause Wireshark to crash, resulting in loss of visibility into network traffic and delayed detection of malicious activities. This is particularly critical in environments where real-time packet analysis is essential for maintaining security posture and compliance with regulations such as GDPR and NIS Directive. Additionally, organizations relying on Wireshark for forensic analysis may experience data integrity issues if capture files are corrupted or cause application failure. While the vulnerability does not directly lead to remote code execution, the denial of service could be leveraged as part of a broader attack strategy to disrupt network defense capabilities. The requirement for local access and user interaction somewhat limits the attack surface but does not eliminate risk, especially in environments where users may open untrusted capture files or where packet injection is possible within internal networks.

To mitigate the risk posed by CVE-2024-0209, European organizations should: 1) Immediately update Wireshark to the latest patched version once available, as the vendor has not yet released patches but is expected to do so promptly. 2) Implement strict policies to restrict opening capture files from untrusted or unknown sources, including scanning files with antivirus or sandboxing tools before analysis. 3) Limit user privileges to prevent unauthorized packet injection or local exploitation, ensuring that only trusted personnel have access to Wireshark and related network analysis tools. 4) Employ network segmentation and monitoring to detect and prevent malicious packet injection attempts within internal networks. 5) Educate users about the risks of opening suspicious capture files and enforce security awareness training focused on safe handling of network data. 6) Consider alternative or complementary network analysis tools with robust security postures during the interim period before patches are applied. 7) Monitor vendor advisories and threat intelligence feeds for updates on exploit availability and patch releases to respond swiftly.