CVE-2026-5656 Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory ('Path Traversal') in Wireshark
Attackers can exploit path traversal during profile import to cause denial of service or execute arbitrary code in Wireshark.
- Exploited in the wild
- Not known
- Login needed
- Not needed
- Attackable
- Local or same network only
- Victim action needed
- A user has to click or open something
- Fix
- Available
What is CVE-2026-5656?
CVE-2026-5656 is a high-severity path traversal vulnerability in Wireshark Wireshark, published on 30 Apr 2026. It can only be exploited from the same machine or local network, and only if a user opens a file or follows a link.
Official description
Profile import path traversal in Wireshark 4.6.0 to 4.6.4 and 4.4.0 to 4.4.14 allows denial of service and possible code execution
Weakness: CWE-22
Which versions are affected by CVE-2026-5656?
It affects 1 product.
Products include Wireshark Wireshark.
How do I fix CVE-2026-5656?
Upgrade to a fixed version.
Upgrade, and resolve every user-supplied path against an allowed base folder before opening it. More about Path traversal.
Is CVE-2026-5656 being exploited?
There is no known exploitation of CVE-2026-5656 in the wild and no public exploit code.
Other vulnerabilities in Wireshark Wireshark
Sources
Also known as AZL-85319, DEBIAN-CVE-2026-5656, GHSA-fw82-f2cv-p6p2, UBUNTU-CVE-2026-5656.