CVE-2006-0196: Unspecified vulnerability in Serial line sniffer (aka slsnif) 0.4.4 allows local users to gain privileges via

Routine

MEDIUM 4.6DOWNGRADE

CVE-2006-0196 is a medium-severity flaw (CVSS 4.6) affecting serial line sniffer. Below: why it ranks where it does, which versions are affected, what to do, and the exact commands.

Unspecified vulnerability in Serial line sniffer (aka slsnif) 0.4.4 allows local users to gain privileges via a long value of the HOME environment variable, possibly because of a buffer overflow.

Why this priority

Public exploit reference

No fix is published yet: follow the downgrade or mitigation steps.

Risk facts

CVSS score	4.6 (Medium)
EPSS exploit chance	0.5% (top 58%)
CISA exploited list	No
Published	2006-01-13
Last modified	2026-06-16

Publisher (CNA): MITRE · Vendor: serial line sniffer

Last updated 2026-06-16 · Sources: CVE Program, NVD, CISA KEV, EPSS and vendor advisories · How we score

Am I affected?

Timeline

2006-01-13 23:03 UTCPublished CVE record published
2026-06-16 22:20 UTCUpdated Record last modified

serial line sniffer serial line sniffer DOWNGRADE

Affected: 0.4.4

Fixed in: no fixed release known

Safe to downgrade to: a release before 0.4.4

1. Check installed version

apt-cache policy serial-line-sniffer || rpm -q serial-line-sniffer || serial-line-sniffer --version

2. No fixed release: DOWNGRADE to a release before 0.4.4 (Debian / Ubuntu)

apt-cache madison serial-line-sniffer sudo apt install serial-line-sniffer=<VERSION_BEFORE_0.4.4> sudo apt-mark hold serial-line-sniffer

2. No fixed release: DOWNGRADE (RHEL / Amazon Linux / Fedora)

dnf --showduplicates list serial-line-sniffer sudo dnf downgrade serial-line-sniffer-<VERSION_BEFORE_0.4.4> sudo dnf versionlock add serial-line-sniffer

Downgrade risk

Downgrading can break dependent software and may reopen older bugs. Read the distro advisory first and test on a non-production host.

After downgrade

Restart the service, and keep the package held until a fixed release ships.

Verify at the official source NVD · CVE Program · Report a problem with this page
Scores and fixes here are computed automatically from those and other public sources. Confirm with the vendor advisory before changing production systems.

Quick answers

How do I fix CVE-2006-0196?

serial line sniffer: downgrade or apply the listed mitigation. Exact commands for each OS are on this page.

Is CVE-2006-0196 being exploited?

CVE-2006-0196 is not on the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities list at the time of the last update. Check again, as this can change.

What does CVE-2006-0196 affect?

CVE-2006-0196 affects serial line sniffer. Severity is medium (CVSS 4.6). Unspecified vulnerability in Serial line sniffer (aka slsnif) 0.4.4 allows local users to gain privileges via a long value of the HOME environment variable, possibly because of a buffer overflow.

How urgent is CVE-2006-0196?

Priority 32/100. Public exploit reference

References

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