Executive brief
tcpdump is a widely used command-line tool for monitoring and analyzing network traffic. A vulnerability in its BOOTP protocol parser allows an attacker to trigger a buffer overflow by sending specially crafted network packets. This could lead to a complete system crash or allow an attacker to execute unauthorized code on the system running the tool, potentially compromising sensitive network data or the host itself.
Technical details
A buffer overflow vulnerability exists in tcpdump versions prior to 4.9.0 within the BOOTP (Bootstrap Protocol) parser. The flaw is located in the bootp_print() function in print-bootp.c and is triggered when the application processes malformed BOOTP packets. An unauthenticated remote attacker can exploit this by sending specially crafted packets to a network segment where tcpdump is performing live capture, or by tricking a user into opening a malicious pcap file. Successful exploitation can result in a denial of service (application crash) or potentially arbitrary code execution with the privileges of the tcpdump process. The issue was addressed in version 4.9.0.
Affected products
- tcpdump tcpdump < 4.9.0
Timeline
- 2017-01-26: patched: tcpdump 4.9.0 released fixing multiple vulnerabilities
- 2017-01-27: advisory: NVD published CVE-2016-7983