Wireshark 4.6.5 Fixes Multiple Security Vulnerabilities & Updates Protocol Support
Wireshark 4.6.5 Fixes Multiple Security Vulnerabilities & Updates Protocol Support
https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/wireshark-465-fixes-multiple-security-vulnerabilities-zzkhe
Publish Date: 2026-05-03 11:00:00
Source Domain: www.linkedin.com
Using an unordered list, summarize the following article with between 4 and 8 key points.
The Wireshark Foundation has announced the release of Wireshark 4.6.5, a critical update to one of the world’s most widely used network protocol analyzers. The latest version delivers a series of important security patches alongside performance improvements, reinforcing the tool’s reliability for enterprise environments, cybersecurity operations, and academic research.
What is Wireshark?
Wireshark is the world’s most popular network protocol analyzer. It is used for troubleshooting, analysis, development and education.
Wireshark is used by government agencies, educational institutions, corporations, small businesses and nonprofits alike to troubleshoot network issues. Additionally, Wireshark can be used as a learning tool
Cybersecurity professionals often use Wireshark to trace connections, view the contents of suspect network transactions and identify bursts of network traffic. It is a key part of any IT pro’s toolkit – once they have mastered how to use it.
Wireshark does three things:
Packet Capture: Wireshark listens to a network connection in real time and then grabs entire streams of traffic – quite possibly tens of thousands of packets at a time.
Filtering: Wireshark is capable of slicing and dicing all of this random live data using filters. By applying a filter, you can obtain just the information you need to see.
Visualization: Wireshark, like any good packet sniffer, allows you to dive right into the very middle of a network packet. It also allows you to visualize entire conversations and network streams.
Wireshark is used by network administrators, developers, and security professionals globally, playing a central role in monitoring, analyzing, and troubleshooting network traffic. As such, even minor flaws in its processing engine can have significant implications—particularly when vulnerabilities could be exploited through malformed or malicious network data.
Protocol Support
Wireshark 4.6.5 introduces expanded support across a wide range of protocols. These include AFP, AIN, ANSI_TCAP, ASAM CMP, ATN-ULCS, BEEP, BGP, Bluetooth HCI (including ISO), BT-DHT, CAMEL, ChargingASE, CMIP, COSEM, DAP, Darwin, DCP ETSI, DECT NR+, DISP, DMX, DNS, E1AP, E2AP, F1AP, FC-SWILS, FTAM, GLOW, GNW, GOOSE, and GPRSCDR.
Additional protocol updates cover GSM MAP and RP, H.225.0, H.245, H.248, H.450 (including ROS), HNBAP, HTTP/2, ICMPv6, IDMP, IEEE standards such as 1609.2, 1722.1, and 802.11, along with INAP, IPsec, IPv4/IPv6, ISAKMP, ISO 8583, ITS, JSON 3GPP, Kismet, LDAP, LPPa, M2AP, M3AP, MAS-5GS, MBIM, MMS, Modbus, and Monero.
The update also extends to protocols such as MySQL, NBAP, NGAP, NRPPa, OpenFlow (1.4 and 1.5), OpenVPN, PCAP, QSIG, QUIC, RANAP, RF4CE, RNSAP, RPKI-Router, RTPS, S1AP, SABP, SBcAP, SDP, SMB2, SSH, T.38, WebSocket, X2AP, X.509 variants, XnAP, Z39.50, and ZBD, among others.
In addition, Wireshark 4.6.5 enhances capture file compatibility. Updated formats include 3GPP phone logs, Android Logcat (binary and text), BLF, CAM Inspector, Catapult DCT2000, NetXray/Sniffer, CoSine IPSX L2, Etherwatch, EyeSDN, HP-UX nettl, IBM iSeries, Ixia IxVeriWave, K12, Micropross mplog, MPEG-2 transport streams, NetScaler, NetScreen, pcapng, pppd logs, Systemd Journal, TCPIPtrace, Toshiba Compact ISDN Router, and Visual Networks.
Major Security Flaws Discovered in Wireshark
A sweeping set of newly disclosed vulnerabilities in Wireshark, with experts warning that attackers could exploit the flaws to execute arbitrary code or disrupt network monitoring systems.
The vulnerabilities—more than 40 in total—were addressed in the latest release, version 4.6.5. Security researchers and incident response teams are urging immediate updates, particularly for organizations that rely on Wireshark in sensitive environments such as Security Operations Centers (SOCs), enterprise networks, and digital forensics workflows.
Critical Vulnerabilities Enable Remote Code Execution
At the center of the disclosure are several high-severity flaws that go beyond simple crashes, opening the door to remote code execution (RCE)—a worst-case scenario in which attackers can run malicious code on affected systems.
Four components within Wireshark have been identified as especially dangerous:
TLS Dissector (CVE-2026-5402): Improper parsing of malformed TLS traffic can trigger crashes and potentially allow code execution.
SBC Codec Processor (CVE-2026-5403): Vulnerable handling of audio codec data may be exploited through crafted inputs.
RDP Dissector (CVE-2026-5405): Malicious Remote Desktop Protocol packets can lead to system compromise.
Profile Import Function (CVE-2026-5656): Attackers can exploit profile import features to execute arbitrary code.
These vulnerabilities are particularly alarming because Wireshark is often deployed with elevated privileges, especially in enterprise and investigative environments. A successful exploit could therefore grant attackers deep system access, potentially enabling lateral movement within networks or full system compromise.
Cybersecurity analysts note that tools like Wireshark, while not typically exposed directly to the internet, still process untrusted network data—making them attractive targets for adversaries capable of injecting malicious traffic.
Widespread Denial-of-Service Risks Across Protocols
Beyond code execution, a significant portion of the vulnerabilities can be used to trigger denial-of-service (DoS) conditions by crashing Wireshark when it processes specially crafted packets.
The affected components span dozens of protocol dissectors, including:
Networking and internet protocols such as ICMPv6, HTTP, WebSocket, and RTSP
Wireless and IoT standards like ZigBee and IEEE 802.11
Blockchain and peer-to-peer protocols including Monero and BT-DHT
Enterprise and database systems such as MySQL and AFP
Because Wireshark analyzes live or captured traffic, an attacker positioned on the same network—or able to supply a malicious capture file—could trigger these crashes without authentication or prior system access.
Security professionals warn that this could blind monitoring systems during active incidents, undermining visibility at critical moments.
Infinite Loop Flaws Threaten Monitoring Pipelines
Another category of vulnerabilities introduces infinite loops, causing Wireshark to hang indefinitely and consume system resources.
Key affected components include:
SMB2 Dissector (CVE-2026-5407)
OpenFlow (v5 and v6)
MBIM, RPKI-Router, USB HID, and DLMS/COSEM modules
Additional issues within the TLS dissector itself
Unlike simple crashes, these flaws can lock systems into a persistent frozen state, requiring manual intervention or system restarts. This is especially problematic in automated or unattended environments, where Wireshark may run continuously as part of monitoring or SIEM pipelines.
Even a single malicious packet could halt analysis entirely, creating blind spots in security monitoring.
Core Engine Weaknesses Expand Attack Surface
In addition to protocol-specific bugs, researchers identified vulnerabilities in Wireshark’s core decompression engine, which is used across multiple protocols.
Two notable flaws include:
zlib Decompression Crash (CVE-2026-6535): Malformed compressed data can corrupt processing and crash the application.
LZ77 Decompression Crash (CVE-2026-6533): Improper handling of compressed payloads leads to instability.
Because these components are shared across many dissectors, the impact extends far beyond individual protocols—effectively increasing the overall attack surface of the application.
AI-Assisted Discovery Accelerates Vulnerability Identification
The Wireshark development team indicated that this unusually large batch of vulnerabilities was discovered in part through AI-assisted analysis techniques, which enabled researchers to identify patterns and weaknesses across multiple protocol implementations simultaneously.
This reflects a growing trend in cybersecurity, where machine learning tools are being used not only by defenders but also potentially by attackers to uncover software weaknesses at scale.
Urgent Patch Recommended for All Users
We recommend upgrading to Wireshark version 4.6.5 without delay.
Organizations are advised to:
Apply updates immediately across all systems running Wireshark
Avoid running Wireshark with unnecessary elevated privileges
Treat packet captures and imported profiles as untrusted input
Monitor systems for unusual crashes or hangs that may indicate exploitation attempts
Given the presence of remote code execution vulnerabilities in widely used protocols like TLS and RDP, the risk is considered critical for enterprise environments.
Broader Implications for Cybersecurity
The incident underscores a broader reality in modern cybersecurity: even trusted defensive tools can become attack vectors if not properly secured.
As network analysis tools ingest increasingly complex and diverse data, the risk of parser-level vulnerabilities continues to grow. Experts stress that organizations must apply the same rigor to securing their security tooling as they do to protecting production systems.
With Wireshark deployed globally across enterprises, academic institutions, and government agencies, the rapid patching of these vulnerabilities is now seen as essential to maintaining network visibility and operational security.
Availability
Wireshark 4.6.5 is now available for download via the official Wireshark Foundation website. As with previous releases, the update is distributed free of charge under its open-source licensing model.
With this release, the Wireshark development team continues its ongoing efforts to maintain the tool’s reputation as a reliable and secure cornerstone of network analysis, addressing both emerging threats and the evolving demands of modern network environments.
Getting Help
The User’s Guide, manual pages and various other documentation can be found at https://www.wireshark.org/docs/
Community support is available on Wireshark’s Q&A site and on the wireshark-users mailing list.
Bugs and feature requests can be reported on the issue tracker.
You can learn protocol analysis and meet Wireshark’s developers at SharkFest.
