CVE-2026-6524 Wireshark Foundation CVE debrief

Who should care

Network administrators and security teams responsible for managing Wireshark installations should assess their exposure and prioritize updates or compensating controls.

Why it matters

CVE-2026-6524 is a medium-severity vulnerability in Wireshark's MySQL protocol dissector that could lead to denial-of-service attacks. Network administrators and security teams should assess their exposure, prioritize updates or compensating controls, and monitor network traffic for suspicious activity.

• Denial-of-service attacks could disrupt network operations
• Successful exploitation requires processing of malicious packets
• Verification of Wireshark versions and network traffic monitoring are necessary

Technical summary

The MySQL protocol dissector in Wireshark crashes when processing certain packets, leading to a denial-of-service attack. This issue affects Wireshark versions 4.4.0 to 4.4.14 and 4.6.0 to 4.6.4. The vulnerability is caused by a flaw in the MySQL protocol dissector, which can be exploited by processing malicious packets. Defenders should prioritize updating Wireshark to a fixed version or applying compensating controls to mitigate potential denial-of-service attacks.

Defensive priority

Defenders should prioritize updating Wireshark to a fixed version or applying compensating controls to mitigate potential denial-of-service attacks.

Recommended defensive actions

• Update Wireshark to a fixed version
• Apply compensating controls to mitigate potential denial-of-service attacks
• Monitor network traffic for suspicious activity

Evidence notes

The CVE record and NVD vulnerability detail page provide information on the vulnerability, its CVSS score, and affected Wireshark versions. The vulnerability's CVSS score is 5.5, indicating a medium severity level. This information is based on the official CVE Program record and the NIST NVD detail page. The affected Wireshark versions are 4.4.0 to 4.4.14 and 4.6.0 to 4.6.4. Network administrators and security teams should verify their Wireshark installations and prioritize updates or

Sources and 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.