How severe is CVE-2020-17498?

CVE-2020-17498 has a CVSS 3.x base score of 6.5, rated medium severity. It is exploitable over network with low attack complexity, requires no privileges and user interaction. Impact on confidentiality is none, integrity none, and availability high.

Is CVE-2020-17498 being actively exploited?

It is not currently listed in CISA's KEV catalog. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score is 3% (85th percentile), an estimate of the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.

What products are affected by CVE-2020-17498?

CVE-2020-17498 primarily affects Wireshark. In total, 6 product configurations (CPEs) are listed as vulnerable; see the affected-products list for the exact versions.

How do I fix CVE-2020-17498?

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

When was CVE-2020-17498 published?

CVE-2020-17498 was published on 2020-08-13 and last updated on 2026-06-17.

CVE-2020-17498

CVE-2020-17498 is a medium-severity vulnerability in Wireshark with a CVSS 3.x base score of 6.5. 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-415.

Key facts

Severity: Medium (CVSS 3.x base score 6.5)
CVSS v2: 4.3
EPSS exploit prediction: 3% (85th percentile)
Actively exploited: Not listed in CISA KEV
Weakness: CWE-415
Affected product: Wireshark
Published: 2020-08-13
Last modified: 2026-06-17

Description

In Wireshark 3.2.0 to 3.2.5, the Kafka protocol dissector could crash. This was addressed in epan/dissectors/packet-kafka.c by avoiding a double free during LZ4 decompression.

Frequently asked questions

What is CVE-2020-17498?: In Wireshark 3.2.0 to 3.2.5, the Kafka protocol dissector could crash. This was addressed in epan/dissectors/packet-kafka.c by avoiding a double free during LZ4 decompression.
How severe is CVE-2020-17498?: CVE-2020-17498 has a CVSS 3.x base score of 6.5, rated medium severity. It is exploitable over network with low attack complexity, requires no privileges and user interaction. Impact on confidentiality is none, integrity none, and availability high.
Is CVE-2020-17498 being actively exploited?: It is not currently listed in CISA's KEV catalog. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score is 3% (85th percentile), an estimate of the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.
What products are affected by CVE-2020-17498?: CVE-2020-17498 primarily affects Wireshark. In total, 6 product configurations (CPEs) are listed as vulnerable; see the affected-products list for the exact versions.
How do I fix CVE-2020-17498?: Review the linked vendor and NVD advisories for patched versions and mitigations, then upgrade or apply the recommended workaround.
When was CVE-2020-17498 published?: CVE-2020-17498 was published on 2020-08-13 and last updated on 2026-06-17.

References

Affected products (6)

cpe:2.3:a:wireshark:wireshark:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:fedoraproject:fedora:31:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:fedoraproject:fedora:32:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:opensuse:leap:15.1:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:opensuse:leap:15.2:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:oracle:zfs_storage_appliance_kit:8.8:*:*:*:*:*:*:*

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…

All CVEs affecting Wireshark →

Other CWE-415 (Double Free) vulnerabilities

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CVE-2026-43011 — Critical (CVSS 9.8): In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: net/x25: Fix potential double free of skb When…
CVE-2026-31609 — Critical (CVSS 9.8): In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: smb: client: avoid double-free in…
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Browse all CWE-415 (Double Free) vulnerabilities →