CVE-2026-96421
Description
A flaw was found in Wireshark. This vulnerability allows an attacker to cause a Denial of Service (DoS) by convincing a user to open a specially crafted packet capture file containing malformed Universal Serial Bus Human Interface Device (USB HID) traffic. When processing the malformed data, the USB HID protocol dissector enters an infinite loop and leaks memory, leading to excessive resource consumption and application unresponsiveness.
Mitigation
Disable the USB HID protocol dissector when USB HID traffic inspection is not required, or avoid processing capture files from untrusted sources.
To disable the protocol dissector in TShark:
tshark --disable-protocol usbhid -r capture.pcap
To disable the dissector persistently in Wireshark:
1. Open the GUI and select Analyze -> Enabled Protocols.
2. Locate "USB HID" (filter name usbhid) and deselect it.
Alternatively, append `usbhid` to the disabled protocols file located at `~/.config/wireshark/disabled_protos`.
Caveat: Disabling the USB HID dissector prevents packet decoders from parsing USB HID payload structures, displaying affected packets only as raw USB data.
Common Vulnerability Scoring System (CVSS) Score Details
Info alert:Important note
CVSS scores for open source components depend on vendor-specific factors (e.g. version or build chain). Therefore, Red Hat's score and impact rating can be different from NVD and other vendors. Red Hat remains the authoritative CVE Naming Authority (CNA) source for its products and services (see Red Hat classifications).
The following CVSS metrics and score provided are preliminary and subject to review.
CVSS v3 Score Breakdown
| Red Hat | NVD | cve.org | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Base Score | 5.5 | N/A | 5.5 |
| Attack Vector | Local | N/A | Local |
| Attack Complexity | Low | N/A | Low |
| Privileges Required | None | N/A | None |
| User Interaction | Required | N/A | Required |
| Scope | Unchanged | N/A | Unchanged |
| Confidentiality | None | N/A | None |
| Integrity Impact | None | N/A | None |
| Availability Impact | High | N/A | High |
Vector
Red Hat: CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H
cve.org: CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H
Understanding the Weakness (CWE)
Availability
Technical Impact: DoS: Resource Consumption (CPU); DoS: Resource Consumption (Memory); DoS: Amplification
An infinite loop will cause unexpected consumption of resources, such as CPU cycles or memory. The software's operation may slow down, or cause a long time to respond.
Frequently Asked Questions
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