Executive brief
A vulnerability exists in tcpdump, a widely used tool for monitoring and analyzing network traffic. An attacker can exploit this flaw by sending specially crafted network packets to a system where tcpdump is running, or by tricking a user into opening a malicious capture file. This could lead to a complete system crash or allow the attacker to execute unauthorized code, potentially compromising the security of the network monitoring environment.
Technical details
A buffer overflow vulnerability exists in the ISAKMP (Internet Security Association and Key Management Protocol) parser of tcpdump versions prior to 4.9.0. The flaw is located in the 'ikev2_e_print()' function within 'print-isakmp.c'. A remote attacker can trigger this overflow by sending specially crafted IKEv2 packets to a network segment being monitored by tcpdump in live capture mode, or by providing a malicious pcap file for offline analysis. Successful exploitation can lead to a denial of service (application crash) or potentially arbitrary code execution with the privileges of the tcpdump process. The issue is resolved in version 4.9.0.
Affected products
- tcpdump tcpdump < 4.9.0
Timeline
- 2017-01-26: disclosed: Initial upstream security release announcement
- 2017-01-27: advisory: NVD published date
- 2017-01-29: patched: Debian security update released