Executive brief
tcpdump is a widely used command-line tool for monitoring and analyzing network traffic. A vulnerability in its ATM protocol parser allows an attacker to send specially crafted network packets that can cause the application to crash or potentially execute unauthorized code. This could disrupt network monitoring operations or allow an attacker to gain a foothold on the system running the tool.
Technical details
A buffer overflow vulnerability exists in tcpdump's ATM (Asynchronous Transfer Mode) signaling parser. The flaw is located in the sig_print() function in print-atm.c and is triggered when processing malformed ATM packets. A 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 lead to a denial of service (application crash) or arbitrary code execution with the privileges of the tcpdump process. The issue is resolved in version 4.9.0.
Affected products
- tcpdump tcpdump before 4.9.0
Timeline
- 2017-01-26: disclosed: Initial upstream release and Debian bug report
- 2017-01-28: advisory: NVD publication date
- 2017-01-29: patched: Debian security update released