# CVE-2026-96417: Wireshark RF4CE protocol dissector buffer overflow

Source: https://junglewise.ai/threats/cve-2026-96417-rf4ce-protocol-dissector-crash-in-4-6-0-to-4-6-8-and-4-4-0-to-4-4  
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-2026-96417 · Severity: medium · CVSS 5.5 · Published 2026-09-29

Wireshark, a network traffic analysis tool used by security teams and network administrators, contains a buffer overflow vulnerability in its RF4CE protocol parser. An attacker can crash Wireshark or potentially execute code by sending a malformed RF4CE packet or tricking a user into opening a malicious packet capture file. This could disrupt network analysis operations or compromise the analyst's workstation.

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-2026-96417 exploited in the wild?** No. Junglewise Threat Intelligence has no report of CVE-2026-96417 being exploited in the wild.

**How severe is CVE-2026-96417?** Medium severity, with a CVSS score of 5.5, published 29 September 2026.

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

**Is there a fix for CVE-2026-96417?** A patch was published on 2026-09-23: Wireshark 4.6.9 and 4.4.19 released Junglewise finds every place you run it, drafts the upgrade and applies it once you approve.

**How is CVE-2026-96417 attacked?** It is attacked over the network or with local access.

**Am I affected by CVE-2026-96417?** 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

A global 80-byte buffer in the RF4CE key exchange dissector (packet-rf4ce-secur.c) is overflowed when processing malformed RF4CE NWK Key Seed packets, with attacker-controlled data XOR'd into memory past the buffer boundary. The vulnerability is reachable via network packet injection or malicious PCAP files without authentication or special user privileges beyond opening a file. Successful exploitation may allow denial of service (crash) or remote code execution depending on the execution context; patches are available in versions 4.6.9 and 4.4.19.

## Affected products

- Wireshark Foundation Wireshark 4.6.0 to 4.6.8, 4.4.0 to 4.4.18

## Timeline

- 2026-09-23: disclosed
- 2026-09-23: patched: Wireshark 4.6.9 and 4.4.19 released

## References

- [https://gitlab.com/wireshark/wireshark/-/work_items/21574](https://gitlab.com/wireshark/wireshark/-/work_items/21574)
- [https://www.wireshark.org/security/wnpa-sec-2026-104.html](https://www.wireshark.org/security/wnpa-sec-2026-104.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)
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- [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)