# CVE-2026-96422: Wireshark Frame protocol metadissector crash

Source: https://junglewise.ai/threats/cve-2026-96422-frame-protocol-metadissector-crash-in-4-6-0-to-4-6-8-and-4-4-0-to  
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-2026-96422 · Severity: medium · CVSS 5.5 · Published 2026-09-29

A denial-of-service vulnerability exists in Wireshark, a network packet analyzer used by security professionals and network administrators to troubleshoot and analyze network traffic. An attacker can craft a malformed pcapng capture file with excessive packet comments that causes Wireshark to crash when processing the file with full protocol tree analysis enabled. This results in loss of availability for the analysis application and could disrupt incident response or network troubleshooting workflows.

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-2026-96422 exploited in the wild?** No. Junglewise Threat Intelligence has no report of CVE-2026-96422 being exploited in the wild.

**How severe is CVE-2026-96422?** Medium severity, with a CVSS score of 5.5, published 29 September 2026.

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

**Is there a fix for CVE-2026-96422?** A patch was published on 2026-09-23: Fixed in Wireshark 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-2026-96422 attacked?** It is attacked with local access.

**Am I affected by CVE-2026-96422?** Check whether you run Wireshark Foundation TShark or 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 Frame protocol dissector in packet-frame.c processes packet comment options without an upper bound, allowing a pcapng file with many repeated comment options to exceed the global tree-item limit. The uncaught DissectorError exception occurs outside the frame dissector's exception boundary, causing TShark or Wireshark to crash (SIGABRT) when building a full protocol tree with the -V option or equivalent GUI action. User interaction is required to open the malicious capture file.

## Affected products

- Wireshark Foundation Wireshark 4.6.0 to 4.6.8, 4.4.0 to 4.4.18
- Wireshark Foundation TShark 4.6.0 to 4.6.8, 4.4.0 to 4.4.18

## Timeline

- 2026-09-29: disclosed: CVE-2026-96422 published
- 2026-09-23: patched: Fixed in Wireshark 4.6.9 and 4.4.19

## References

- [https://gitlab.com/wireshark/wireshark/-/work_items/21525](https://gitlab.com/wireshark/wireshark/-/work_items/21525)
- [https://www.wireshark.org/security/wnpa-sec-2026-102.html](https://www.wireshark.org/security/wnpa-sec-2026-102.html)

## Related threats

- [Wireshark X11 dissector out-of-bounds heap read](https://junglewise.ai/threats/cve-2026-96423-x11-protocol-dissector-crash-in-4-6-0-to-4-6-8-and-4-4-0-to-4-4)
- [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)
- [Wireshark RF4CE protocol dissector buffer overflow](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)