CVE-2026-3203 is a buffer over-read vulnerability classified under CWE-126 found in the RF4CE Profile protocol dissector component of Wireshark versions 4.4.0 through 4.4.13 and 4.6.0 through 4.6.3. The RF4CE (Radio Frequency for Consumer Electronics) Profile protocol dissector improperly handles crafted packets, leading to reading beyond the allocated buffer boundaries. This causes the Wireshark application to crash, resulting in a denial of service (DoS) condition. The vulnerability requires user interaction, specifically opening a maliciously crafted capture file or receiving malicious network traffic that Wireshark attempts to dissect. The CVSS v3.1 base score is 5.5, reflecting medium severity due to local attack vector (AV:L), low attack complexity (AC:L), no privileges required (PR:N), and required user interaction (UI:R). The impact is limited to availability as confidentiality and integrity are unaffected. No known exploits have been reported in the wild, and no official patches have been linked at the time of publication. The vulnerability highlights the risks of processing untrusted network data in protocol analyzers and the importance of robust input validation in dissectors.

The primary impact of CVE-2026-3203 is denial of service through application crashes of Wireshark, which can disrupt network analysis and monitoring activities. For organizations relying heavily on Wireshark for security incident response, troubleshooting, or network diagnostics, such crashes can delay detection and response to real threats. Although the vulnerability does not allow code execution or data compromise, repeated crashes can degrade operational efficiency and potentially cause loss of volatile analysis data. In environments where Wireshark is integrated into automated workflows or monitoring systems, this vulnerability could be exploited to disrupt those processes. Since exploitation requires user interaction, the risk is somewhat mitigated but still significant in scenarios where analysts open untrusted capture files or receive malicious network traffic. The absence of known exploits reduces immediate threat but does not eliminate the risk of future weaponization.

1. Avoid opening capture files from untrusted or unknown sources until a patch is available. 2. Implement strict network segmentation and filtering to limit exposure to malicious RF4CE Profile protocol traffic. 3. Use sandboxing or isolated environments when analyzing suspicious capture files to contain potential crashes. 4. Monitor Wireshark updates closely and apply patches promptly once released by the Wireshark Foundation. 5. Educate network analysts and security teams about the risk of crafted capture files and encourage verification of file provenance. 6. Consider alternative protocol analysis tools or versions not affected by this vulnerability if immediate patching is not feasible. 7. Employ automated crash monitoring and logging to detect and respond quickly to unexpected Wireshark failures.