CVE-2023-3648: Wireshark Kafka Dissector DoS Vulnerability

CVE-2023-3648 Overview

CVE-2023-3648 is a denial of service vulnerability affecting the Kafka dissector component in Wireshark, the widely-used network protocol analyzer. The vulnerability exists in Wireshark versions 4.0.0 to 4.0.6 and 3.6.0 to 3.6.14, allowing attackers to crash the application via packet injection or by convincing a user to open a specially crafted capture file.

Critical Impact

Attackers can cause Wireshark to crash, disrupting network analysis operations and potentially leading to loss of captured traffic data during critical forensic or monitoring activities.

Affected Products

• Wireshark versions 4.0.0 through 4.0.6
• Wireshark versions 3.6.0 through 3.6.14
• Systems running vulnerable Wireshark with Kafka protocol analysis enabled

Discovery Timeline

• 2023-07-14 - CVE-2023-3648 published to NVD
• 2025-11-03 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2023-3648

Vulnerability Analysis

This vulnerability is classified under CWE-762 (Mismatched Memory Management Routines), indicating a flaw in how the Kafka dissector handles memory operations. The vulnerability allows an attacker to trigger a crash condition in Wireshark by sending malicious Kafka protocol packets across a network being monitored or by enticing a user to open a maliciously crafted PCAP file.

The attack requires local access and user interaction, meaning an attacker must either inject packets into a network segment being actively captured or convince a user to open a malicious capture file. While this limits the attack surface, network analysts frequently open capture files from various sources, making this a practical attack vector in security research and incident response scenarios.

Root Cause

The root cause of CVE-2023-3648 lies in mismatched memory management routines within the Kafka protocol dissector. This type of vulnerability occurs when memory is allocated using one routine but freed using an incompatible deallocation function, or when memory operations are performed on improperly initialized or already-freed memory regions. When processing malformed Kafka protocol messages, the dissector fails to properly handle certain edge cases, leading to memory corruption and subsequent application crash.

Attack Vector

The attack vector for this vulnerability is local, requiring user interaction to exploit. An attacker can leverage this vulnerability through two primary methods:

1. Packet Injection: If an attacker has network access to a segment being monitored by Wireshark, they can inject specially crafted Kafka protocol packets that trigger the crash when processed by the dissector.

2. Malicious Capture File: An attacker can create a crafted PCAP or PCAPNG file containing malformed Kafka protocol data. When a user opens this file in a vulnerable version of Wireshark, the Kafka dissector attempts to parse the malicious packets, resulting in a crash.

The vulnerability manifests during protocol dissection when Wireshark attempts to decode Kafka messages. For detailed technical information about the specific triggering conditions, refer to the GitLab Issue Report and the Wireshark Security Advisory.

Detection Methods for CVE-2023-3648

Indicators of Compromise

• Wireshark processes crashing unexpectedly during Kafka traffic analysis
• Core dumps or crash logs indicating failures in the Kafka dissector module
• Presence of suspicious PCAP files containing malformed Kafka protocol data
• Network traffic containing anomalous Kafka protocol packets with irregular field values

Detection Strategies

• Monitor system logs for repeated Wireshark process crashes, particularly during network capture sessions
• Implement file integrity monitoring on capture file directories to detect potentially malicious files
• Use version scanning tools to identify installations of Wireshark versions 3.6.0-3.6.14 or 4.0.0-4.0.6
• Deploy endpoint detection solutions capable of identifying abnormal process terminations

Monitoring Recommendations

• Enable crash reporting and centralized logging for Wireshark deployments across the organization
• Regularly audit installed Wireshark versions to ensure compliance with patching requirements
• Monitor for unusual Kafka protocol traffic patterns that may indicate exploitation attempts
• Implement SentinelOne Singularity XDR to detect and respond to suspicious application crashes and potential denial of service conditions

How to Mitigate CVE-2023-3648

Immediate Actions Required

• Upgrade Wireshark to version 4.0.7 or later for the 4.x branch
• Upgrade Wireshark to version 3.6.15 or later for the 3.6.x branch
• Avoid opening capture files from untrusted sources until patching is complete
• Consider disabling the Kafka dissector if Kafka protocol analysis is not required

Patch Information

Wireshark has released patched versions that address this vulnerability. Users should upgrade to Wireshark 4.0.7 or later for the 4.x series, or 3.6.15 or later for the 3.6.x series. Detailed patch information and download links are available in the Wireshark Security Advisory WNPA-SEC-2023-21. Debian users should consult the Debian LTS Announcement for distribution-specific updates.

Workarounds

• Disable the Kafka protocol dissector via Analyze > Enabled Protocols and unchecking Kafka
• Use capture filters to exclude Kafka traffic when not required for analysis
• Process untrusted capture files in isolated environments or virtual machines
• Run Wireshark with limited privileges to minimize impact of potential crashes

# Disable Kafka dissector via command line for automated analysis
wireshark -o "kafka.enabled:FALSE" -r capture.pcap

# Alternative: Use TShark with disabled Kafka dissector for batch processing
tshark -o "kafka.enabled:FALSE" -r suspicious_capture.pcap