CVE-2018-14438 Security feature bypass in n/a

High 7.5 Published 20 Jul 2018 Updated 5 Aug 2024

Attackers can bypass access controls on Wireshark mutexes due to a NULL DACL, potentially enabling privilege escalation or unauthorized modification.

Exploited in the wild: Not known
Login needed: Not needed
Attackable: Over the internet
Victim action needed: Not needed
Fix: Available

What is CVE-2018-14438?

CVE-2018-14438 is a high-severity vulnerability in Wireshark Wireshark, published on 20 Jul 2018. An attacker can exploit it over the internet without logging in, with no action from the victim.

Official description

In Wireshark through 2.6.2, the create_app_running_mutex function in wsutil/file_util.c calls SetSecurityDescriptorDacl to set a NULL DACL, which allows attackers to modify the access control arbitrarily.

Weakness: CWE-20

Which versions are affected by CVE-2018-14438?

It affects 1 product.

Products include Wireshark Wireshark.

How do I fix CVE-2018-14438?

Upgrade to a fixed version.

Is CVE-2018-14438 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2018-14438 in the wild and no public exploit code.

All Wireshark Wireshark vulnerabilities

Sources

Also known as GHSA-jvmf-8grh-h7xw, UBUNTU-CVE-2018-14438.