# CVE-2026-96415: Wireshark Catapult DCT2000 dissector buffer overflow

Source: https://junglewise.ai/threats/cve-2026-96415-catapult-dct2000-protocol-dissector-crash-in-4-6-0-to-4-6-8-and-4  
Publisher: Junglewise Threat Intelligence, https://junglewise.ai/threats  
Published: 2026-09-29. Updated: 2026-09-29  
License: CC BY 4.0 with a link back

CVE-2026-96415 · Severity: medium · CVSS 5.5 · Published 2026-09-29

Wireshark, a network traffic analysis tool, contains a buffer overflow vulnerability in its Catapult DCT2000 protocol dissector that can be triggered by opening a malformed capture file. An attacker can craft a specially formatted DCT2000 capture file that writes or reads beyond a 200-byte buffer, potentially causing a crash or exposing sensitive memory. This requires a user to open the malicious file in Wireshark or process it with tshark.

Technologies: [Wireshark Foundation Wireshark](https://junglewise.ai/threats/technologies/wireshark-foundation-wireshark). Vendors: [Wireshark Foundation](https://junglewise.ai/threats/vendors/wireshark-foundation).

## Quick answers

**Is CVE-2026-96415 exploited in the wild?** No. Junglewise Threat Intelligence has no report of CVE-2026-96415 being exploited in the wild.

**How severe is CVE-2026-96415?** Medium severity, with a CVSS score of 5.5, published 29 September 2026.

**Which products and versions are affected?** Wireshark Foundation Wireshark 4.4.0 to 4.4.18, 4.6.0 to 4.6.8.

**Is there a fix for CVE-2026-96415?** A patch was published on 2026-09-29: Fixed in versions 4.6.9 and 4.4.19 Junglewise finds every place you run it, drafts the upgrade and applies it once you approve.

**How is CVE-2026-96415 attacked?** It is attacked with local access, in a software library.

**Am I affected by CVE-2026-96415?** Check whether you run Wireshark Foundation Wireshark at an affected version. Junglewise does that check for you around the clock: connect your code, cloud and domains, and it matches new vulnerabilities like this one against what you actually run and tells you when one reaches you.

## Technical details

The vulnerability exists in the NR-UP branch of the Catapult DCT2000 dissector where an unclamped length derived from attacker-controlled comment text is used in a padding loop that writes past a 200-byte static buffer. The decode loop properly bounds writes to the buffer (idx ≤ 196), but the subsequent alignment padding loop uses the unclamped length value, permitting 1–3 bytes of null writes up to ~65535 bytes past the array. The same unclamped length is used to create a tvb (buffer descriptor) that exposes adjacent static memory on read operations. Exploitation requires opening a malformed DCT2000 capture file with no user interaction beyond file opening.

## Affected products

- Wireshark Foundation Wireshark 4.4.0 to 4.4.18, 4.6.0 to 4.6.8

## Timeline

- 2026-09-23: disclosed
- 2026-09-29: patched: Fixed in versions 4.6.9 and 4.4.19

## References

- [https://gitlab.com/wireshark/wireshark/-/work_items/21589](https://gitlab.com/wireshark/wireshark/-/work_items/21589)
- [https://www.wireshark.org/security/wnpa-sec-2026-110.html](https://www.wireshark.org/security/wnpa-sec-2026-110.html)

## Related threats

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- [Wireshark Frame protocol metadissector crash](https://junglewise.ai/threats/cve-2026-96422-frame-protocol-metadissector-crash-in-4-6-0-to-4-6-8-and-4-4-0-to)
- [Wireshark Toshiba file parser crash](https://junglewise.ai/threats/cve-2026-96420-toshiba-file-parser-crash-in-4-6-0-to-4-6-8-and-4-4-0-to-4-4-18)
- [Wireshark profile import path traversal code execution](https://junglewise.ai/threats/cve-2026-96419-profile-import-crash-in-4-6-0-to-4-6-8-and-4-4-0-to-4-4-18-allows)
- [Wireshark TIFF dissector infinite loop](https://junglewise.ai/threats/cve-2026-96418-tiff-protocol-dissector-infinite-loop-in-4-6-0-to-4-6-8-and-4-4-0)