Integer overflow in tcpdump
Priority LOW 37CWE-190Published · Updated
Key facts
- Attack vector
- Local
- Privileges required
- None
- User interaction
- Required
- Attack complexity
- Low
- Impact type
- Code execution
- Confidentiality · integrity · availability
- High · High · High
- Fix status
- Partial Red Hat: 3 without a fix
Attack profile from CVSS 3.1 · NVD. Fix status from CNA and Red Hat. Impact type from CWE-190 and the CVSS impact.
Summary
The command-line argument parser in tcpdump before 4.99.0 has a buffer overflow in tcpdump.c:read_infile(). To trigger this vulnerability the attacker needs to create a 4GB file on the local filesystem and to specify the file name as the value of the -F command-line argument of tcpdump.
Why it matters now
Exploitation None reported CISA SSVC · not in CISA KEV
EPSS 0.00626 50th percentileScored 2026-11-07
Fix Partial tcpdump (The Tcpdump Group): 4.99.0Red Hat: 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Tcpdump Group | tcpdump | before 4.99.0 | 4.99.0 | Patch available | CNA |
- tcpdump VendorThe Tcpdump Group Affected before 4.99.0 Fixed in 4.99.0 Patch available CNA
CPE configurations NVD · 1
| CPE | Versions | Role | Vendor |
|---|---|---|---|
| cpe:2.3:a:tcpdump:tcpdump:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:* | before 4.99.0 | Vulnerable | The Tcpdump Group |
- cpe:2.3:a:tcpdump:tcpdump:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:* Versions before 4.99.0 Vulnerable ·The Tcpdump Group
Remediation
- Fix · CNA tcpdump (The Tcpdump Group) Fixed in 4.99.0
Vendor assessments
Red Hat
Red Hat rating: Low. Red Hat's page for this CVE →
| Product | Status | Plan or fix |
|---|---|---|
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6 | Affected | No fix planned: Out of support scope |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7 | Affected | No fix planned: Out of support scope |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8 | Affected | No fix yet: Fix deferred |
Not affected: 1 product
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux 9
Timeline
- 2026-10-02 Threatist record created from CVE-2018-16301
- 2026-10-03 Alias added: GHSA-h8wh-rj39-x373
- 2026-10-08 CISA SSVC decision points changed
- 2026-10-31 EPSS moved to the 50th–90th percentile
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-2018-16301 · CVE Program
- CVE-2018-16301 · NVD
- FIRST EPSS
- GHSA-h8wh-rj39-x373 · GitHub Advisory Database · CC BY 4.0
- CVE-2018-16301 · Red Hat security data · CC BY 4.0
This product uses the NVD API but is not endorsed or certified by the NVD. Sources and licences