CVE-2026-96421 Improperly Controlled Sequential Memory Allocation in Wireshark
An attacker can cause a denial of service in Wireshark via a crafted USB HID packet, leading to an infinite loop and memory leak.
- 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-2026-96421?
CVE-2026-96421 is a medium-severity denial of service vulnerability in Wireshark Wireshark, published on 29 Sep 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
USB HID protocol dissector infinite loop and memory leak in 4.6.0 to 4.6.8 and 4.4.0 to 4.4.18 allows denial of service
Weakness: CWE-1325
Which versions are affected by CVE-2026-96421?
It affects 1 product.
Products include Wireshark Wireshark.
How do I fix CVE-2026-96421?
Upgrade to a fixed version.
Upgrade, then put limits on request size, rate and nesting depth so one client cannot exhaust the service. More about Denial of service.
Is CVE-2026-96421 being exploited?
It is not confirmed as exploited in the wild, but public exploit code for CVE-2026-96421 exists.
Other vulnerabilities in Wireshark Wireshark
Sources
Also known as AZL-105012, DEBIAN-CVE-2026-96421, GHSA-wg4g-83vx-mw68, MINI-jx58-mhhr-3f7c, UBUNTU-CVE-2026-96421.