The command-line argument parser in tcpdump before 4.9.3 has a buffer overflow in tcpdump.c:get_next_file().
Priority MEDIUM 40CWE-120Published · Updated
Key facts
- Attack vector
- Local
- Privileges required
- None
- User interaction
- Required
- Attack complexity
- High
- Impact type
- Code execution
- Confidentiality · integrity · availability
- High · High · High
- Fix status
- Partial Red Hat: 1 fixed, 3 without a fix
Attack profile from CVSS 3.1 · CISA ADP. Fix status from CNA and Red Hat. Impact type from CWE-120 and the CVSS impact.
Summary
The command-line argument parser in tcpdump before 4.9.3 has a buffer overflow in tcpdump.c:get_next_file().
Why it matters now
Exploitation None reported CISA SSVC · not in CISA KEV
EPSS 0.04667 91st percentileScored 2026-11-07
Fix Partial Red Hat: 1 advisoryRed Hat: 1 fixed, 3 without a fix
SSVC decision points
CISA ADP · SSVC 2.0.3
- Exploitation
- None
- Automatable
- No
- Technical impact
- Total
The decision (Track, Attend, Act) also depends on your mission and well-being impact; see CISA's SSVC guide.
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 · 13
| CPE | Versions | Role | Vendor |
|---|---|---|---|
| cpe:2.3:a:f5:traffix_signaling_delivery_controller:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:* | 5.0.0 – 5.1.0 | Vulnerable | F5 |
| cpe:2.3:a:tcpdump:tcpdump:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:* | before 4.9.3 | Vulnerable | The Tcpdump Group |
| cpe:2.3:o:apple:mac_os_x:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:* | before 10.15.2 | Vulnerable | Apple |
| cpe:2.3:o:debian:debian_linux:8.0:*:*:*:*:*:*:* | 8.0 | Vulnerable | Debian |
| cpe:2.3:o:debian:debian_linux:9.0:*:*:*:*:*:*:* | 9.0 | Vulnerable | Debian |
| cpe:2.3:o:debian:debian_linux:10.0:*:*:*:*:*:*:* | 10.0 | Vulnerable | Debian |
| cpe:2.3:o:fedoraproject:fedora:29:*:*:*:*:*:*:* | 29 | Vulnerable | Fedoraproject |
| cpe:2.3:o:fedoraproject:fedora:30:*:*:*:*:*:*:* | 30 | Vulnerable | Fedoraproject |
| cpe:2.3:o:fedoraproject:fedora:31:*:*:*:*:*:*:* | 31 | Vulnerable | Fedoraproject |
| cpe:2.3:o:opensuse:leap:15.0:*:*:*:*:*:*:* | 15.0 | Vulnerable | openSUSE |
- cpe:2.3:a:f5:traffix_signaling_delivery_controller:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:* Versions 5.0.0 – 5.1.0 Vulnerable ·F5
- cpe:2.3:a:tcpdump:tcpdump:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:* Versions before 4.9.3 Vulnerable ·The Tcpdump Group
- cpe:2.3:o:apple:mac_os_x:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:* Versions before 10.15.2 Vulnerable ·Apple
- cpe:2.3:o:debian:debian_linux:8.0:*:*:*:*:*:*:* Versions 8.0 Vulnerable ·Debian
- cpe:2.3:o:debian:debian_linux:9.0:*:*:*:*:*:*:* Versions 9.0 Vulnerable ·Debian
- cpe:2.3:o:debian:debian_linux:10.0:*:*:*:*:*:*:* Versions 10.0 Vulnerable ·Debian
- cpe:2.3:o:fedoraproject:fedora:29:*:*:*:*:*:*:* Versions 29 Vulnerable ·Fedoraproject
- cpe:2.3:o:fedoraproject:fedora:30:*:*:*:*:*:*:* Versions 30 Vulnerable ·Fedoraproject
- cpe:2.3:o:fedoraproject:fedora:31:*:*:*:*:*:*:* Versions 31 Vulnerable ·Fedoraproject
- cpe:2.3:o:opensuse:leap:15.0:*:*:*:*:*:*:* Versions 15.0 Vulnerable ·openSUSE
Remediation
Red Hat 1 advisory
- RHSA-2020:4760 Released 2020-11-04 · Red Hat rating Moderatetcpdump security, bug fix, and enhancement update
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux AppStream (v. 8) tcpdump-14:4.9.3-1.el8
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: Out of support scope |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6 | Affected | No fix planned: Out of support scope |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7 | Affected | No fix planned: Will not fix |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux AppStream (v. 8) | Fixed | RHSA-2020:4760 |
Timeline
- 2026-10-02 Threatist record created from CVE-2018-14879
- 2026-10-03 Alias added: GHSA-x5g3-55pg-9g4m
References
Advisory 14
- https://github.com/the-tcpdump-group/tcpdump/blob/tcpdump-4.9/CHANGES
- [debian-lts-announce] 20191011 [SECURITY] [DLA 1955-1] tcpdump security update
- openSUSE-SU-2019:2344
- openSUSE-SU-2019:2348
- 20191021 [SECURITY] [DSA 4547-1] tcpdump security update
- DSA-4547
- FEDORA-2019-85d92df70f
- FEDORA-2019-d06bc63433
- FEDORA-2019-6db0d5b9d9
- https://support.apple.com/kb/HT210788
- 20191211 APPLE-SA-2019-12-10-3 macOS Catalina 10.15.2, Security Update 2019-002 Mojave, Security Update 2019-007 High Sierra
- 20191213 APPLE-SA-2019-12-10-3 macOS Catalina 10.15.2, Security Update 2019-002 Mojave, Security Update 2019-007 High Sierra
- USN-4252-2
- USN-4252-1
Sources
- CVE-2018-14879 · CVE Program
- CVE-2018-14879 · NVD
- FIRST EPSS
- GHSA-x5g3-55pg-9g4m · GitHub Advisory Database · CC BY 4.0
- CVE-2018-14879 · Red Hat security data · CC BY 4.0
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