CVE-2018-16301: The command-line argument parser in tcpdump before 4.99.0 has a buffer overflow in tcpdump.c:read_infile()

Q: How do I fix CVE-2018-16301?

tcpdump: upgrade to 4.99.0. Exact commands for each OS are on this page.

Q: Is CVE-2018-16301 being exploited?

CVE-2018-16301 is not on the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities list at the time of the last update. Check again, as this can change.

Q: What does CVE-2018-16301 affect?

CVE-2018-16301 affects tcpdump. Severity is high (CVSS 7.8). 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 va

This month

HIGH 7.8UPGRADE

CVE-2018-16301 is a high-severity flaw (CVSS 7.8) affecting tcpdump. Below: why it ranks where it does, which versions are affected, what to do, and the exact commands.

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 this priority

High severity

A fixed release or distro patch exists.

Risk facts

CVSS score	7.8 (High)
Attack vector	Local
Attack complexity	Low
Privileges needed	None
User interaction	Required
EPSS exploit chance	0.6% (top 50%)
CISA exploited list	No
Weakness	CWE-190, CWE-787, CWE-120
Published	2019-10-03
Last modified	2026-10-08

Publisher (CNA): Tcpdump Group · Vendor: tcpdump

Last updated 2026-10-08 · Sources: CVE Program, NVD, CISA KEV, EPSS and vendor advisories · How we score

Am I affected?

Timeline

2019-10-03 16:15 UTCPublished CVE record published
2026-10-08 22:16 UTCUpdated Record last modified

tcpdump tcpdump UPGRADE

Affected: < 4.99.0

Fixed in: 4.99.0

Safe to downgrade to: no unaffected older release

1. Check installed version

apt-cache policy tcpdump || rpm -q tcpdump || tcpdump --version

2. UPGRADE to 4.99.0 (Debian / Ubuntu)

sudo apt update && sudo apt install --only-upgrade tcpdump

2. UPGRADE (RHEL / Amazon Linux / Fedora)

sudo dnf upgrade tcpdump

Note

Distros often backport fixes without changing the version number. Confirm with the distro advisory or changelog.

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-2018-16301?

tcpdump: upgrade to 4.99.0. Exact commands for each OS are on this page.

Is CVE-2018-16301 being exploited?

CVE-2018-16301 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-2018-16301 affect?

CVE-2018-16301 affects tcpdump. Severity is high (CVSS 7.8). 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 va

How urgent is CVE-2018-16301?

Priority 40/100. High severity

Related CVEs

CVE-2023-1801 MEDIUM 6.5 DOWNGRADE The SMB protocol decoder in tcpdump version 4.99.3 can perform an out-of-bounds write when decoding a crafted
CVE-2020-8037 HIGH 7.5 DOWNGRADE MITIGATE The ppp decapsulator in tcpdump 4.9.3 can be convinced to allocate a large amount of memory.
CVE-2020-8036 HIGH 7.5 DOWNGRADE The tok2strbuf() function in tcpdump 4.10.0-PRE-GIT was used by the SOME/IP dissector in an unsafe way.
CVE-2019-15167 CRITICAL 9.1 UPGRADE The VRRP parser in tcpdump before 4.9.3 has a buffer over-read in print-vrrp.c:vrrp_print() for VRRP version 3
CVE-2019-15166 LOW 1.6 UPGRADE UPGRADE lmp_print_data_link_subobjs() in print-lmp.c in tcpdump before 4.9.3 lacks certain bounds checks.

References

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