CVE-2024-4854 is a vulnerability classified under CWE-835 (Loop with Unreachable Exit Condition) affecting multiple versions of Wireshark, specifically 3.6.0 through 3.6.22, 4.0.0 through 4.0.14, and 4.2.0 through 4.2.4. The flaw exists in the dissectors for MONGO and ZigBee TLV protocols, where crafted packets or capture files can trigger infinite loops due to logic errors in loop exit conditions. When Wireshark processes these malformed inputs, it enters an infinite loop, causing the application to become unresponsive and effectively resulting in a denial of service (DoS). The vulnerability is remotely exploitable over the network (AV:N) but requires high attack complexity (AC:H) and user interaction (UI:R), such as opening a malicious capture file or receiving a crafted packet. No privileges are required (PR:N), and the impact primarily affects availability (A:H) with limited confidentiality and integrity impacts (C:L, I:L). Although no public exploits are known, the vulnerability poses a risk to environments where Wireshark is used to analyze network traffic, especially if untrusted capture files are opened or if Wireshark is exposed to untrusted networks. The absence of patch links suggests that fixes may be pending or recently released. The infinite loop can degrade analyst productivity and delay incident response during network investigations.

For European organizations, the primary impact of CVE-2024-4854 is operational disruption due to denial of service on Wireshark instances. Organizations relying on Wireshark for network monitoring, forensic analysis, or incident response could experience delays or interruptions if the tool becomes unresponsive. This could hinder timely detection and mitigation of other security incidents. Critical sectors such as telecommunications, finance, energy, and government agencies that use Wireshark extensively may face increased risk of operational downtime. Although the vulnerability does not lead to direct data breaches or system compromise, the loss of availability in network analysis tools can indirectly affect security posture and incident handling capabilities. Additionally, crafted capture files could be used as a vector in targeted attacks against security teams. The medium severity rating reflects the balance between the impact and the complexity of exploitation. European organizations with stringent compliance requirements and high dependency on network security tools should prioritize addressing this vulnerability to maintain resilience.

1. Monitor Wireshark Foundation announcements and promptly apply official patches or updates once released for affected versions. 2. Until patches are available, avoid opening capture files from untrusted or unknown sources to reduce risk of triggering the infinite loop. 3. Restrict network exposure of Wireshark instances by limiting access to trusted internal networks and using network segmentation to isolate analysis workstations. 4. Employ sandboxing or containerization for Wireshark usage to contain potential hangs or crashes without affecting other systems. 5. Implement strict operational procedures for handling capture files, including scanning and validation before analysis. 6. Train security analysts to recognize symptoms of the infinite loop hang and to restart Wireshark safely. 7. Consider alternative packet analysis tools temporarily if Wireshark updates are delayed and operational continuity is critical. 8. Maintain regular backups of capture files and analysis configurations to minimize data loss during unexpected application failures.