Description
TCPDUMP 3.8.1 and earlier allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (crash) via ISAKMP packets containing a Delete payload with a large number of SPI's, which causes an out-of-bounds read, as demonstrated by the Striker ISAKMP Protocol Test Suite.
Fixed in Linux distributions
Distributions backport fixes, so the version that fixes this vulnerability differs per release — upgrade to at least the version shown. From the distributions' security trackers and advisories.
Debian
Security tracker ↗| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| Debian 14 | tcpdump | 3.7.2-4 | — |
| Debian 13 | tcpdump | 3.7.2-4 | — |
| Debian 12 | tcpdump | 3.7.2-4 | — |
| Debian 3.0 | tcpdump | 3.6.2-2.8 | DSA-478 |
Red Hat
Security tracker ↗| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| RHEL 3 | libpcap | 14:0.7.2-7.E3.2 | RHSA-2004:219 |
| RHEL 3 | tcpdump | 14:3.7.2-7.E3.2 | RHSA-2004:219 |
Advisories 2
- RHSA-2004:219 Red Hat Security Advisory: tcpdump security update Red Hat Security Advisories (RHSA) · Jun 26, 2026
- DSA-478 tcpdump - denial of service Debian Security (DSA / DLA) · Mar 9, 2026
References
- VU#240790 third-party-advisory
- oval:org.mitre.oval:def:9971 vdb-entry signature
- RHSA-2004:219 vendor-advisory
- 1009593 vdb-entry
- DSA-478 vendor-advisory
- 11258 third-party-advisory
- 2004-0015 vendor-advisory
- 11320 third-party-advisory
- tcpdump-isakmp-delete-bo(15680) vdb-entry
- oval:org.mitre.oval:def:972 vdb-entry signature
- http://www.rapid7.com/advisories/R7-0017.html
- 10003 vdb-entry
- FEDORA-2004-1468 vendor-advisory
- http://www.tcpdump.org/tcpdump-changes.txt
- 20040330 R7-0017: TCPDUMP ISAKMP payload handling denial-of-service vulnerabilities mailing-list