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PatchSiren cyber security CVE debrief

CVE-2017-6014 Debian CVE debrief

CVE-2017-6014 is a high-severity availability flaw in Wireshark’s STANAG 4607 parser. A crafted or malformed capture file can cause an infinite loop when a packet header’s size field is null, so the parser never advances its read offset and repeatedly processes the same zero-length packet until memory is exhausted. The NVD record maps affected Wireshark versions up to 2.2.4 and cites CWE-835.

Vendor
Debian
Product
Unknown
CVSS
HIGH 7.5
CISA KEV
Not listed in stored evidence
Original CVE published
2017-02-17
Original CVE updated
2026-05-13
Advisory published
2017-02-17
Advisory updated
2026-05-13

Who should care

Organizations and analysts that open untrusted packet captures in Wireshark, especially teams that process STANAG 4607 data. Debian and other downstream package maintainers should also review their packaged Wireshark versions and advisories.

Technical summary

The issue is a parsing loop in Wireshark’s STANAG 4607 dissector. If a packet header contains a null packet-size field, the parser does not advance the offset, causing repeated reads of the same zero-length packet. NVD classifies the weakness as CWE-835 and the CVSS vector indicates network exploitable, no privileges, no user interaction, and high availability impact only.

Defensive priority

High. The flaw can be triggered by malformed input during routine file analysis and may quickly consume memory, disrupting analyst workflows or services that process captures automatically.

Recommended defensive actions

  • Upgrade Wireshark to a version newer than 2.2.4.
  • Apply vendor and downstream advisories referenced in the record, including Debian and Gentoo guidance where applicable.
  • Treat STANAG 4607 capture files from untrusted sources as hostile input and analyze them in a controlled environment.
  • If capture parsing is automated, add file validation and resource limits so malformed inputs cannot exhaust memory.
  • Monitor for parser hangs, runaway memory usage, or abnormal crashes when processing packet captures.

Evidence notes

This debrief is based on the NVD record for CVE-2017-6014, which states that Wireshark 2.2.4 and earlier are affected by crafted or malformed STANAG 4607 capture files causing infinite looping and memory exhaustion. The record also lists references to a Debian security advisory, Wireshark Bugzilla issue 13416, and a Gentoo GLSA. The CVE was published on 2017-02-17 and later modified in NVD on 2026-05-13; those dates are used only as record timing context.

Sources and references

Verified primary and authoritative sources

  • CVE-2017-6014 CVE Program record

    Publisher, destination, and source semantics verified

    URL: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2017-6014

    CVE Program - Official CVE Program record with source-provided CVE metadata.

  • CVE-2017-6014 NVD vulnerability detail

    Publisher, destination, and source semantics verified

    URL: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2017-6014

    NIST National Vulnerability Database - Official NIST NVD detail page and source-specific vulnerability assessment.

Supplemental references

Methodology and review provenance

AI-assisted synthesis based on stored public vulnerability evidence. System validation, approval state, and publication status do not by themselves establish human review of this revision. PatchSiren helps prioritize defensive review and does not prove exposure or remediation on any system.