Описание
wireshark-mcp vulnerable to arbitrary file write via export_objects when WIRESHARK_MCP_ALLOWED_DIRS is not configured
Description
Impact
wireshark-mcp exposes a wireshark_export_objects MCP tool that accepts an attacker-controlled dest_dir parameter and passes it to tshark's --export-objects flag with no mandatory path restriction.
The path sandbox (_allowed_dirs) is None by default and only activates when the environment variable WIRESHARK_MCP_ALLOWED_DIRS is explicitly set. In a default installation, any directory on the filesystem can be used as the export destination.
Affected code (src/wireshark_mcp/tshark/client.py:531-543):
Attack Scenario
An attacker embeds a crafted HTTP response in a pcap file (e.g. Content-Disposition: filename=authorized_keys). Via prompt injection in the pcap payload, an AI model using this MCP server is manipulated into calling wireshark_export_objects with:
tshark then extracts and writes the HTTP object to that path, granting the attacker SSH access.
The same technique can target:
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/etc/cron.d/ -
Writable web roots
-
Other sensitive filesystem locations
Additional Affected Operations
The same missing sandbox affects:
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merge_pcap_files -
editcap_trim -
editcap_split -
editcap_time_shift -
editcap_deduplicate -
text2pcap_import
Proof of Concept
Confirmed on wireshark-mcp v1.1.5 with tshark 4.6.4.
A crafted pcap’s HTTP object was successfully written to an arbitrary filesystem path when:
Patches
Not yet patched.
A fix should make the path sandbox mandatory for all file-write operations rather than optional:
Workarounds
Set WIRESHARK_MCP_ALLOWED_DIRS to a restricted safe directory before starting the server:
This activates the existing sandbox and blocks writes outside the allowed path.
Resources
-
Vulnerable code:
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src/wireshark_mcp/tshark/client.pylines 521–543 -
src/wireshark_mcp/tshark/client.pylines 685–839
-
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CWE-22: Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory
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CWE-73: External Control of File Name or Path
Пакеты
wireshark-mcp
<= 1.1.5
Отсутствует
Связанные уязвимости
Wireshark MCP is an MCP Server that turns tshark into a structured analysis interface, then layers in optional Wireshark suite utilities. In 1.1.5 and earlier, wireshark-mcp exposes a wireshark_export_objects MCP tool that accepts an attacker-controlled dest_dir parameter and passes it to tshark's --export-objects flag with no mandatory path restriction. The path sandbox (_allowed_dirs) is None by default and only activates when the environment variable WIRESHARK_MCP_ALLOWED_DIRS is explicitly set. In a default installation, any directory on the filesystem can be used as the export destination.
Wireshark MCP is an MCP Server that turns tshark into a structured analysis interface, then layers in optional Wireshark suite utilities. In 1.1.5 and earlier, wireshark-mcp exposes a wireshark_export_objects MCP tool that accepts an attacker-controlled dest_dir parameter and passes it to tshark's --export-objects flag with no mandatory path restriction. The path sandbox (_allowed_dirs) is None by default and only activates when the environment variable WIRESHARK_MCP_ALLOWED_DIRS is explicitly set. In a default installation, any directory on the filesystem can be used as the export destination.