# CVE-2026-96418: Wireshark TIFF dissector infinite loop

Source: https://junglewise.ai/threats/cve-2026-96418-tiff-protocol-dissector-infinite-loop-in-4-6-0-to-4-6-8-and-4-4-0  
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-2026-96418 · Severity: medium · CVSS 5.5 · Published 2026-09-29

The TIFF protocol dissector in Wireshark, used to analyze TIFF image files and embedded TIFF traffic, contains a flaw that allows an attacker to craft a malicious TIFF file with a self-referential Image File Directory (IFD) chain. When a user opens such a file or Wireshark processes it in a network capture, the dissector loops indefinitely at 100% CPU, causing the application to hang and become unresponsive—a denial of service that prevents legitimate analysis work.

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-2026-96418 exploited in the wild?** No. Junglewise Threat Intelligence has no report of CVE-2026-96418 being exploited in the wild.

**How severe is CVE-2026-96418?** 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-2026-96418?** A patch was published on 2026-09: 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-2026-96418 attacked?** It is attacked over the network or with local access, in a software library.

**Am I affected by CVE-2026-96418?** 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 TIFF dissector in file-tiff.c lacks cycle detection when traversing IFD chains, relying solely on checking if the next-IFD offset equals zero. An attacker can craft a TIFF where an IFD's next-IFD pointer references itself (or creates a cycle), causing an unbounded loop. The vulnerability is reachable via default-enabled heuristics (file-based .tif parsing) and from network traffic containing TIFF bodies (HTTP/MIME). Generic Wireshark loop safeguards do not fire in the default single-pass dissection mode (tree == NULL) because their counters are bypassed.

## 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: patched: Fixed in versions 4.6.9 and 4.4.19

## References

- [https://gitlab.com/wireshark/wireshark/-/work_items/21565](https://gitlab.com/wireshark/wireshark/-/work_items/21565)
- [https://www.wireshark.org/security/wnpa-sec-2026-107.html](https://www.wireshark.org/security/wnpa-sec-2026-107.html)

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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)
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