The latest Wireshark release fixes critical bugs and updates key protocols, reinforcing its position as an essential tool for sysadmins and network specialists.
Wireshark, the world’s most widely used open-source, free, and cross-platform protocol analyzer, has just released version 4.4.9, the ninth maintenance update in the 4.4 stable series.
Available for Linux, macOS, and Windows, Wireshark is considered the de facto standard for network troubleshooting and security. It is trusted by millions of IT professionals globally to inspect live traffic, detect anomalies, analyze communication failures, and train students in networking and cybersecurity.
What’s New in Wireshark 4.4.9
This release focuses on stability and reliability, while also updating support for several protocols, including:
- BACapp (Building Automation and Control networks) – critical for building automation.
- LIN (Local Interconnect Network) – widely used in automotive environments.
- MySQL – increasingly important for database traffic auditing.
- RDM (Remote Device Management) – essential in hardware and device management.
- SABP, SCCP, sFlow, and SSH – key protocols in telecom, monitoring, and secure connections.
The update also resolves several important bugs, such as:
- An error in SCCP LUDT segmentation decoding.
- A bug in the LZ77 decoder that incorrectly read a 16-bit length instead of 32-bit.
- Issues in RDM Product Detail List ID dissection.
- A failure causing Ciscodump to not start captures on Cisco IOS devices.
Additionally, a long-standing issue with BACnet WritePropertyMultiple has been fixed, where a closing tag present in raw packets was ignored during disassembly.
What Hasn’t Changed
Despite these fixes, Wireshark 4.4.9 does not introduce new capture file formats or brand-new protocol support. It is a maintenance-focused release aimed at strengthening stability and ensuring a more reliable experience for analysts.
Installation and Availability
Users can download the source tarball from the official Wireshark website.
On Linux, most major distributions will soon provide updated packages via their stable repositories.
For universal installation, Wireshark is also available as a Flatpak from Flathub. However, note that the Flatpak build does not support live traffic capturing, making it better suited for post-capture analysis.
Why Wireshark Remains Indispensable
For over two decades, Wireshark has been more than just a network tool — it has become a pillar of IT education and cybersecurity practices.
In today’s environment of remote work, IoT devices, and cloud platforms, having access to a protocol analyzer is critical for detecting intrusions, spotting man-in-the-middle attacks, preventing data leaks, and diagnosing network bottlenecks that can paralyze businesses.
Its intuitive interface, extensive protocol support, and massive global community make Wireshark the undisputed leader in network analysis.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) about Wireshark 4.4.9
1. What is Wireshark used for?
Wireshark is a network protocol analyzer that captures and displays traffic in real time. It is used for troubleshooting, performance optimization, network audits, and cybersecurity forensics.
2. What’s new in version 4.4.9?
This update adds improved support for protocols like BACapp, LIN, MySQL, RDM, SABP, SCCP, sFlow, and SSH, and fixes critical bugs in segmentation, decoders, and Cisco-related captures.
3. Where can I download Wireshark 4.4.9?
From the Wireshark official website. It will also appear in Linux distribution repositories and is available on Flathub as a Flatpak (though without live capture functionality).
4. Is Wireshark safe to use?
Yes. Being open-source, Wireshark is transparent and actively maintained. However, capturing network traffic requires elevated privileges (root/admin), which should be done carefully to avoid security risks.
5. What sets Wireshark apart from alternatives?
Unlike tools like tcpdump (console-based) or Ettercap (focused on MITM attacks), Wireshark combines a GUI-based interface, extensive protocol support, cross-platform availability, and strong community backing, making it the industry’s go-to solution.
