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Wireshark 2.4.0 Release Notes

Table of Contents

1. What is Wireshark?
2. What’s New
2.1. New and Updated Features
2.2. New Protocol Support
2.3. Updated Protocol Support
2.4. New and Updated Capture File Support
2.5. Major API Changes
3. Getting Wireshark
3.1. Vendor-supplied Packages
4. File Locations
5. Known Problems
6. Getting Help
7. Frequently Asked Questions

1. What is Wireshark?

Wireshark is the world’s most popular network protocol analyzer. It is used for troubleshooting, analysis, development and education.

2. What’s New

2.1. New and Updated Features

The following features are new (or have been significantly updated) since version 2.2.0:

  • Experimental 32-bit and 64-bit Windows Installer (.msi) packages are available. It is recommended that you use these independently of the NSIS (.exe) installers. That is, you should make sure the NSIS package is completely uninstalled before installing the Windows Installer package and vice-versa.
  • Source packages are now compressed using xz instead of bzip2.
  • The legacy (GTK+) UI is disabled by default in the Windows installers.
  • The legacy (GTK+) UI is disabled by default in the development environment (Autotools and CMake).
  • SS7 Point Codes can now be resolved into names with a hosts-like file.
  • Wireshark can now go fullscreen to have more room for packets.
  • TShark can now export objects like the other GUI interfaces.
  • Support for G.722 and G.726 codecs in the RTP Player (via the SpanDSP library).
  • You can now choose the output device when playing RTP streams.
  • Added support for dissectors to include a unit name natively in their hf field. A field can now automatically append "seconds" or "ms" to its value without additional printf-style APIs.
  • The Default profile can now be reset to default values.
  • You can move back and forth in the selection history in the Qt UI.
  • IEEE 802.15.4 dissector now uses an UAT for decryption keys. The original decryption key preference has been obsoleted.
  • Extcap utilities can now provide configuration for a GUI interface toolbar to control the extcap utility while capturing.
  • Extcap utilities can now validate the capture filter.
  • Display filter function len() can now be used on all string and byte fields.
  • Added an experimental timeline view for 802.11 wireless packet data which can be enabled via the "802.11 radio information" preferences.
  • Added TLS 1.3 (draft 21) dissection and decryption support (Bug 12779).
  • The (D)TLS Application Layer protocol (e.g. HTTP or CoAP) can now be changed via the Decode As dialog.
  • The RSA keys dialog for SSL keys has improved feedback for invalid settings and no longer requires the IP address, Port or Protocol fields to be set in addition to the Key File.
  • TCP Analysis will detect and flag more spurious retransmissions.

2.2. New Protocol Support

Bluetooth HCI Vendor Intel, CAN FD, Citrix NetScaler Metric Exchange Protocol, Citrix NetScaler RPC Protocol, DirectPlay 8 protocol, Ericsson A-bis P-GSL, Ericsson A-bis TFP (Traffic Forwarding Protocol), Facebook Zero, Fc00/cjdns Protocol, Generic Netlink (genl), GSM Osmux, GSMTAP based logging, Health Level 7 (HL7), High-speed SECS message service (HSMS), HomePNA, IndigoCare iCall protocol, IndigoCare Netrix protocol, iPerf2, ISO 15765, Linux 802.11 Netlink (nl80211), Local Service Discovery (LSD), M2 Application Protocol, Mesh Link Establishment (MLE), MUDURL, Netgear Ensemble Protocol, NetScaler HA Protocol, NetScaler Metric Exchange Protocol, NetScaler RPC Protocol, NM protocol, Nordic BLE Sniffer, NVMe, NVMe Fabrics RDMA, OBD-II PIDs, OpenThread simulator, RFTap Protocol, SCTE-35 Digital Program Insertion Messages, Snort Post-dissector, Thread CoAP, UDP based FTP w/ multicast (UFTP and UFTP4), Unified Diagnostic Services (UDS), vSocket, Windows Cluster Management API (clusapi), and X-Rite i1 Display Pro (and derivatives) USB protocol

2.3. Updated Protocol Support

Too many protocols have been updated to list here.

2.4. New and Updated Capture File Support

ERF, IxVeriWave, Libpcap, and Pcap-ng

2.5. Major API Changes

IEEE802.11: wlan_mgt display filter element got renamed to wlan.

Libgcrypt is now a required dependency.

3. Getting Wireshark

Wireshark source code and installation packages are available from https://www.wireshark.org/download.html.

3.1. Vendor-supplied Packages

Most Linux and Unix vendors supply their own Wireshark packages. You can usually install or upgrade Wireshark using the package management system specific to that platform. A list of third-party packages can be found on the download page on the Wireshark web site.

4. File Locations

Wireshark and TShark look in several different locations for preference files, plugins, SNMP MIBS, and RADIUS dictionaries. These locations vary from platform to platform. You can use About→Folders to find the default locations on your system.

5. Known Problems

Dumpcap might not quit if Wireshark or TShark crashes. (Bug 1419)

The BER dissector might infinitely loop. (Bug 1516)

Capture filters aren’t applied when capturing from named pipes. (Bug 1814)

Filtering tshark captures with read filters (-R) no longer works. (Bug 2234)

Application crash when changing real-time option. (Bug 4035)

Wireshark and TShark will display incorrect delta times in some cases. (Bug 4985)

Wireshark should let you work with multiple capture files. (Bug 10488)

6. Getting Help

Community support is available on Wireshark’s Q&A site and on the wireshark-users mailing list. Subscription information and archives for all of Wireshark’s mailing lists can be found on the web site.

Official Wireshark training and certification are available from Wireshark University.

7. Frequently Asked Questions

A complete FAQ is available on the Wireshark web site.