How severe is CVE-2011-0538?

CVE-2011-0538 has a CVSS 2.0 base score of 6.8, rated medium severity.

Is CVE-2011-0538 being actively exploited?

It is not currently listed in CISA's KEV catalog. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score is 8% (94th percentile), an estimate of the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.

What products are affected by CVE-2011-0538?

CVE-2011-0538 primarily affects Wireshark. In total, 20 product configurations (CPEs) are listed as vulnerable; see the affected-products list for the exact versions.

How do I fix CVE-2011-0538?

Review the linked vendor and NVD advisories for patched versions and mitigations, then upgrade or apply the recommended workaround.

When was CVE-2011-0538 published?

CVE-2011-0538 was published on 2011-02-08 and last updated on 2026-06-16.

CVE-2011-0538

CVE-2011-0538 is a medium-severity vulnerability in Wireshark with a CVSS 2.0 base score of 6.8. It is not currently listed as actively exploited by CISA, and its EPSS exploit-prediction score is low. The underlying weakness is classified as CWE-119.

Key facts

Severity: Medium (CVSS 2.0 base score 6.8)
EPSS exploit prediction: 8% (94th percentile)
Actively exploited: Not listed in CISA KEV
Weakness: CWE-119
Affected product: Wireshark
Published: 2011-02-08
Last modified: 2026-06-16

Description

Wireshark 1.2.0 through 1.2.14, 1.4.0 through 1.4.3, and 1.5.0 frees an uninitialized pointer during processing of a .pcap file in the pcap-ng format, which allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (memory corruption) or possibly have unspecified other impact via a malformed file.

Frequently asked questions

What is CVE-2011-0538?: Wireshark 1.2.0 through 1.2.14, 1.4.0 through 1.4.3, and 1.5.0 frees an uninitialized pointer during processing of a .pcap file in the pcap-ng format, which allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (memory corruption) or possibly have unspecified other impact via a malformed file.
How severe is CVE-2011-0538?: CVE-2011-0538 has a CVSS 2.0 base score of 6.8, rated medium severity.
Is CVE-2011-0538 being actively exploited?: It is not currently listed in CISA's KEV catalog. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score is 8% (94th percentile), an estimate of the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.
What products are affected by CVE-2011-0538?: CVE-2011-0538 primarily affects Wireshark. In total, 20 product configurations (CPEs) are listed as vulnerable; see the affected-products list for the exact versions.
How do I fix CVE-2011-0538?: Review the linked vendor and NVD advisories for patched versions and mitigations, then upgrade or apply the recommended workaround.
When was CVE-2011-0538 published?: CVE-2011-0538 was published on 2011-02-08 and last updated on 2026-06-16.

References

Affected products (20)

cpe:2.3:a:wireshark:wireshark:1.2.0:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:wireshark:wireshark:1.2.1:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:wireshark:wireshark:1.2.2:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:wireshark:wireshark:1.2.3:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:wireshark:wireshark:1.2.4:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:wireshark:wireshark:1.2.5:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:wireshark:wireshark:1.2.6:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:wireshark:wireshark:1.2.7:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:wireshark:wireshark:1.2.8:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:wireshark:wireshark:1.2.9:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:wireshark:wireshark:1.2.10:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:wireshark:wireshark:1.2.11:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:wireshark:wireshark:1.2.12:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:wireshark:wireshark:1.2.13:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:wireshark:wireshark:1.2.14:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:wireshark:wireshark:1.4.0:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:wireshark:wireshark:1.4.1:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:wireshark:wireshark:1.4.2:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:wireshark:wireshark:1.4.3:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:wireshark:wireshark:1.5.0:*:*:*:*:*:*:*

More vulnerabilities in Wireshark

CVE-2011-0444 — Critical (CVSS 10.0): Buffer overflow in the MAC-LTE dissector (epan/dissectors/packet-mac-lte.c) in Wireshark 1.2.0 through 1.2.13 and 1.4.0…
CVE-2010-2995 — Critical (CVSS 10.0): The SigComp Universal Decompressor Virtual Machine (UDVM) in Wireshark 0.10.8 through 1.0.14 and 1.2.0 through 1.2.9…
CVE-2010-2994 — Critical (CVSS 10.0): Stack-based buffer overflow in the ASN.1 BER dissector in Wireshark 0.10.13 through 1.0.14 and 1.2.0 through 1.2.9 has…
CVE-2009-1266 — Critical (CVSS 10.0): Unspecified vulnerability in Wireshark before 1.0.7 has unknown impact and attack vectors.
CVE-2009-1210 — Critical (CVSS 10.0): Format string vulnerability in the PROFINET/DCP (PN-DCP) dissector in Wireshark 1.0.6 and earlier allows remote…
CVE-2008-3146 — Critical (CVSS 10.0): Multiple buffer overflows in packet_ncp2222.inc in Wireshark (formerly Ethereal) 0.9.7 through 1.0.2 allow attackers to…

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