CVE-2026-15171: CWE-476: NULL Pointer Dereference in Wireshark Foundation Wireshark
A NULL pointer dereference vulnerability exists in the SSH protocol dissector of Wireshark versions 4.6.0 to 4.6.6 and 4.4.0 to 4.4.16. This flaw can cause the application to crash, resulting in a denial of service condition when processing certain SSH traffic.
AI Analysis
Technical Summary
CVE-2026-15171 is a medium severity vulnerability identified as CWE-476 (NULL Pointer Dereference) affecting Wireshark's SSH protocol dissector. Specifically, Wireshark versions 4.6.0 through 4.6.6 and 4.4.0 through 4.4.16 are vulnerable. The issue allows an attacker to cause a denial of service by triggering a crash in the Wireshark application when it processes crafted SSH packets. The CVSS v3.1 base score is 5.5, reflecting local attack vector, low complexity, no privileges required, user interaction required, unchanged scope, no confidentiality or integrity impact, and high impact on availability. No official patch or remediation guidance is currently provided by the vendor, and no known exploits are reported in the wild.
Potential Impact
Successful exploitation of this vulnerability results in a denial of service due to application crash. There is no impact on confidentiality or integrity. The attack requires local access and user interaction, limiting the attack surface.
Mitigation Recommendations
Patch status is not yet confirmed — check the vendor advisory for current remediation guidance. Until a fix is available, users should exercise caution when opening SSH traffic captures from untrusted sources to avoid triggering the crash.
CVE-2026-15171: CWE-476: NULL Pointer Dereference in Wireshark Foundation Wireshark
Description
A NULL pointer dereference vulnerability exists in the SSH protocol dissector of Wireshark versions 4.6.0 to 4.6.6 and 4.4.0 to 4.4.16. This flaw can cause the application to crash, resulting in a denial of service condition when processing certain SSH traffic.
CVSS v3.1
Score 5.5medium
Affected software
pkg:github/wireshark/wiresharkRun on your own infrastructure? Check whether these packages are installed with threat-finder — our free open-source scanner.
Weaknesses
AI-Powered Analysis
Machine-generated threat intelligence
Technical Analysis
CVE-2026-15171 is a medium severity vulnerability identified as CWE-476 (NULL Pointer Dereference) affecting Wireshark's SSH protocol dissector. Specifically, Wireshark versions 4.6.0 through 4.6.6 and 4.4.0 through 4.4.16 are vulnerable. The issue allows an attacker to cause a denial of service by triggering a crash in the Wireshark application when it processes crafted SSH packets. The CVSS v3.1 base score is 5.5, reflecting local attack vector, low complexity, no privileges required, user interaction required, unchanged scope, no confidentiality or integrity impact, and high impact on availability. No official patch or remediation guidance is currently provided by the vendor, and no known exploits are reported in the wild.
Potential Impact
Successful exploitation of this vulnerability results in a denial of service due to application crash. There is no impact on confidentiality or integrity. The attack requires local access and user interaction, limiting the attack surface.
Mitigation Recommendations
Patch status is not yet confirmed — check the vendor advisory for current remediation guidance. Until a fix is available, users should exercise caution when opening SSH traffic captures from untrusted sources to avoid triggering the crash.
Technical Details
- Data Version
- 5.2
- Assigner Short Name
- GitLab
- Date Reserved
- 2026-07-08T20:45:53.857Z
- Cvss Version
- 3.1
- State
- PUBLISHED
- Remediation Level
- null
Threat ID: 6a4ebdf4c9d9e3dbe3bf8a13
Added to database: 07/08/2026, 21:15:32 UTC
Last enriched: 07/08/2026, 21:29:41 UTC
Last updated: 07/08/2026, 22:23:00 UTC
Views: 4
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