The CALM FAST parser in tcpdump before 4.9.0 has a buffer overflow in print-calm-fast.c:calm_fast_print().
Priority MEDIUM 48CWE-119Published · Updated
Key facts
- Attack vector
- Network
- Privileges required
- None
- User interaction
- None
- Attack complexity
- Low
- Impact type
- Code execution
- Confidentiality · integrity · availability
- High · High · High
- Fix status
- Partial Red Hat: 4 fixed, 2 without a fix
Attack profile from CVSS 3.0 · NVD. Fix status from CNA and Red Hat. Impact type from CWE-119 and the CVSS impact.
Summary
The CALM FAST parser in tcpdump before 4.9.0 has a buffer overflow in print-calm-fast.c:calm_fast_print().
Why it matters now
EPSS 0.03172 88th percentileScored 2026-11-07
Fix Partial Red Hat: 1 advisoryRed Hat: 4 fixed, 2 without a fix
SSVC decision points
Not available: CISA has not published SSVC decision points for this record.
Affected products
| Vendor | Product | Affected versions | Fixed in | Status | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| — | — | all versions | — | No fix listed | CNA |
- — Vendor— Affected all versions Fixed in — No fix listed CNA
CPE configurations NVD · 1
| CPE | Versions | Role | Vendor |
|---|---|---|---|
| cpe:2.3:a:tcpdump:tcpdump:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:* | up to 4.8.1 | Vulnerable | The Tcpdump Group |
- cpe:2.3:a:tcpdump:tcpdump:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:* Versions up to 4.8.1 Vulnerable ·The Tcpdump Group
Remediation
Red Hat 1 advisory
- RHSA-2017:1871 Released 2017-08-01 · Red Hat rating Moderatetcpdump security, bug fix, and enhancement update
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux Client (v. 7) tcpdump-14:4.9.0-5.el7
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux ComputeNode (v. 7) tcpdump-14:4.9.0-5.el7
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux Server (v. 7) tcpdump-14:4.9.0-5.el7
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux Workstation (v. 7) tcpdump-14:4.9.0-5.el7
Vendor assessments
Red Hat
Red Hat rating: Moderate. Red Hat's page for this CVE →
| Product | Status | Plan or fix |
|---|---|---|
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux 5 | Affected | No fix planned: Will not fix |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6 | Affected | No fix planned: Will not fix |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux Client (v. 7) | Fixed | RHSA-2017:1871 |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux ComputeNode (v. 7) | Fixed | RHSA-2017:1871 |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux Server (v. 7) | Fixed | RHSA-2017:1871 |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux Workstation (v. 7) | Fixed | RHSA-2017:1871 |
Timeline
- 2026-10-02 Threatist record created from CVE-2016-7985
- 2026-10-03 Alias added: GHSA-7r6q-cmgh-7mwq
References
More The Tcpdump Group Tcpdump vulnerabilities
- TI-2007-03684 Integer overflow in print-bgp.c in the BGP dissector in tcpdump 3.9.6 and earlier allows… CVSS 3.1CRITICAL 9.8
- TI-2004-00159 Integer underflow in the isakmp_id_print for TCPDUMP 3.8.1 and earlier allows remote… CVSS 2.0MEDIUM 5.0
- TI-2018-10700 The BGP parser in tcpdump before 4.9.3 has a buffer over-read in… CVSS 3.1CRITICAL 9.8
- TI-2017-09693 The RPKI-Router parser in tcpdump before 4.9.2 has a buffer over-read in print-rpki-rtr.c:rpki_rtr_pdu_print(). CVSS 3.1CRITICAL 9.8
- TI-2017-09684 The ICMPv6 parser in tcpdump before 4.9.2 has a buffer over-read in print-icmp6.c:icmp6_nodeinfo_print(). CVSS 3.1CRITICAL 9.8
- TI-2017-09683 The MPTCP parser in tcpdump before 4.9.2 has a buffer over-read in print-mptcp.c, several functions. CVSS 3.1CRITICAL 9.8
Sources
- CVE-2016-7985 · CVE Program
- CVE-2016-7985 · NVD
- FIRST EPSS
- GHSA-7r6q-cmgh-7mwq · GitHub Advisory Database · CC BY 4.0
- CVE-2016-7985 · Red Hat security data · CC BY 4.0
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