PatchSiren cyber security CVE debrief

CVE-2026-5403 Wireshark Foundation CVE debrief

A vulnerability in Wireshark's SBC codec handling can lead to a denial of service and potential code execution. The issue affects Wireshark versions 4.6.0 to 4.6.4 and 4.4.0 to 4.4.14. This CVE has a CVSS score of 7.8 and is considered high severity. The vulnerability is caused by a crash in the SBC codec handling. Users should update to a patched version of Wireshark to mitigate this vulnerability.

Vendor: Wireshark Foundation
Product: Wireshark
CVSS: HIGH 7.8
CISA KEV: Not listed in stored evidence
Original CVE published: 2026-05-01
Original CVE updated: 2026-07-15
Advisory published: 2026-05-01
Advisory updated: 2026-07-15

Who should care

Network administrators and security teams responsible for managing Wireshark installations should be aware of this vulnerability. Additionally, developers working with Wireshark or similar network protocol analyzers may need to take precautions. Users of Wireshark versions 4.6.0 to 4.6.4 and 4.4.0 to 4.4.14 are at risk and should take action.

Technical summary

The CVE-2026-5403 vulnerability is caused by a crash in the SBC codec handling in Wireshark. This can lead to a denial of service and potentially allow for code execution. The vulnerability affects Wireshark versions 4.6.0 to 4.6.4 and 4.4.0 to 4.4.14. The Common Vulnerability Scoring System (CVSS) score for this vulnerability is 7.8, indicating high severity. The CVSS vector is CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H.

Defensive priority

This vulnerability has a high CVSS score of 7.8, indicating that it should be prioritized for remediation. Network administrators and security teams should take immediate action to update Wireshark to a patched version.

Recommended defensive actions

Update Wireshark to a patched version (4.6.5 or later, or 4.4.15 or later)
Review and apply vendor-provided security advisories and patches
Monitor network traffic and system logs for potential exploitation attempts
Consider implementing compensating controls, such as network segmentation or access restrictions
Verify that Wireshark installations are up-to-date and compliant with organizational security policies

Evidence notes

The CVE-2026-5403 vulnerability is documented in the official CVE record and NVD detail pages. Additional information can be found in vendor advisories and issue tracking systems. The vulnerability affects Wireshark versions 4.6.0 to 4.6.4 and 4.4.0 to 4.4.14.

Sources and references

Verified primary and authoritative sources

CVE-2026-5403 CVE Program record
Publisher, destination, and source semantics verified

URL: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2026-5403

CVE Program - Official CVE Program record with source-provided CVE metadata.
CVE-2026-5403 NVD vulnerability detail
Publisher, destination, and source semantics verified

URL: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-5403

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

Supplemental references

Mitigation or vendor reference
Unverified legacy reference

URL: https://gitlab.com/wireshark/wireshark/-/issues/21103

[email protected] - Exploit, Issue Tracking, Third Party Advisory
Mitigation or vendor reference
Unverified legacy reference

URL: https://www.wireshark.org/security/wnpa-sec-2026-16.html

[email protected] - Vendor Advisory
Source reference
Unverified legacy reference

URL: https://access.redhat.com/security/cve/CVE-2026-5403

0b0ca135-0b70-47e7-9f44-1890c2a1c46c
Source reference
Unverified legacy reference

URL: https://security.access.redhat.com/data/csaf/v2/vex/2026/cve-2026-5403.json

0b0ca135-0b70-47e7-9f44-1890c2a1c46c

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.