CVE-2007-6121: Wireshark (formerly Ethereal) 0.8.16 to 0.99.6 allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (crash) vi

Routine

MEDIUM 5.0DOWNGRADEDOWNGRADE

CVE-2007-6121 is a medium-severity flaw (CVSS 5.0) affecting ethereal, wireshark. Below: why it ranks where it does, which versions are affected, what to do, and the exact commands.

Wireshark (formerly Ethereal) 0.8.16 to 0.99.6 allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (crash) via a malformed RPC Portmap packet.

Why this priority

No elevated risk signals yet

No fix is published yet: follow the downgrade or mitigation steps.

Risk facts

CVSS score	5.0 (Medium)
EPSS exploit chance	2.0% (top 19%)
CISA exploited list	No
Weakness	CWE-20
Published	2007-11-23
Last modified	2026-06-16

Publisher (CNA): Red Hat, Inc. · Vendor: ethereal group · wireshark

Last updated 2026-06-16 · Sources: CVE Program, NVD, CISA KEV, EPSS and vendor advisories · How we score

Am I affected?

Timeline

2007-11-23 20:46 UTCPublished CVE record published
2026-06-16 22:47 UTCUpdated Record last modified

ethereal group ethereal DOWNGRADE

Affected: 0.8.16 · 0.8.17 · 0.8.17a · 0.8.18 · 0.8.19 · 0.8.20 · 0.9 · 0.9.0

Fixed in: no fixed release known

Safe to downgrade to: a release before 0.8.16

1. Check installed version

apt-cache policy ethereal || rpm -q ethereal || ethereal --version

2. No fixed release: DOWNGRADE to a release before 0.8.16 (Debian / Ubuntu)

apt-cache madison ethereal sudo apt install ethereal=<VERSION_BEFORE_0.8.16> sudo apt-mark hold ethereal

2. No fixed release: DOWNGRADE (RHEL / Amazon Linux / Fedora)

dnf --showduplicates list ethereal sudo dnf downgrade ethereal-<VERSION_BEFORE_0.8.16> sudo dnf versionlock add ethereal

Downgrade risk

Downgrading can break dependent software and may reopen older bugs. Read the distro advisory first and test on a non-production host.

After downgrade

Restart the service, and keep the package held until a fixed release ships.

wireshark wireshark DOWNGRADE

Affected: 0.8.16 · 0.9.8 · 0.9.10 · 0.99 · 0.99.0 · 0.99.1 · 0.99.2 · 0.99.3

Fixed in: no fixed release known

Safe to downgrade to: a release before 0.8.16

1. Check installed version

apt-cache policy wireshark || rpm -q wireshark || wireshark --version

2. No fixed release: DOWNGRADE to a release before 0.8.16 (Debian / Ubuntu)

apt-cache madison wireshark sudo apt install wireshark=<VERSION_BEFORE_0.8.16> sudo apt-mark hold wireshark

2. No fixed release: DOWNGRADE (RHEL / Amazon Linux / Fedora)

dnf --showduplicates list wireshark sudo dnf downgrade wireshark-<VERSION_BEFORE_0.8.16> sudo dnf versionlock add wireshark

Downgrade risk

Downgrading can break dependent software and may reopen older bugs. Read the distro advisory first and test on a non-production host.

After downgrade

Restart the service, and keep the package held until a fixed release ships.

Verify at the official source NVD · CVE Program · Report a problem with this page
Scores and fixes here are computed automatically from those and other public sources. Confirm with the vendor advisory before changing production systems.

Quick answers

How do I fix CVE-2007-6121?

ethereal: downgrade or apply the listed mitigation; wireshark: downgrade or apply the listed mitigation. Exact commands for each OS are on this page.

Is CVE-2007-6121 being exploited?

CVE-2007-6121 is not on the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities list at the time of the last update. Check again, as this can change.

What does CVE-2007-6121 affect?

CVE-2007-6121 affects ethereal, wireshark. Severity is medium (CVSS 5.0). Wireshark (formerly Ethereal) 0.8.16 to 0.99.6 allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (crash) via a malformed RPC Portmap packet.

How urgent is CVE-2007-6121?

Priority 38/100. No elevated risk signals yet.

Related CVEs

CVE-2010-1455 MEDIUM 4.3 DOWNGRADE DOWNGRADE The DOCSIS dissector in Wireshark 0.9.6 through 1.0.12 and 1.2.0 through 1.2.7 allows user-assisted remote att
CVE-2007-6120 MEDIUM 5.0 DOWNGRADE DOWNGRADE The Bluetooth SDP dissector Wireshark (formerly Ethereal) 0.99.2 to 0.99.6 allows remote attackers to cause a
CVE-2007-6118 HIGH 7.8 DOWNGRADE DOWNGRADE The MEGACO dissector in Wireshark (formerly Ethereal) 0.9.14 to 0.99.6 allows remote attackers to cause a deni
CVE-2007-6111 HIGH 7.1 DOWNGRADE DOWNGRADE Multiple unspecified vulnerabilities in Wireshark (formerly Ethereal) allow remote attackers to cause a denial
CVE-2006-3632 HIGH 10.0 DOWNGRADE Buffer overflow in Wireshark (aka Ethereal) 0.8.16 to 0.99.0 allows remote attackers to cause a denial of serv

References

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