Description
Ettercap through 0.8.4.1 contains a stack buffer underwrite vulnerability in the telnet dissector in src/dissectors/ec_telnet.c that decrements the output pointer on backspace without a lower bound check. Attackers can send a telnet stream with more backspaces than preceding characters to write below the stack buffer, corrupting the stack of the Ettercap process that normally runs as root.
Affected products
| Vendor | Product | Affected | Fixed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ettercap | ettercap | ≤ 0.8.4.1 | — |
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 13 | ettercap | No fix yet | — |
| Debian 12 | ettercap | No fix yet | — |
Ubuntu
Security tracker ↗| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ubuntu 26.10 | ettercap | No fix yet | — |
| Ubuntu 26.04 LTS | ettercap | No fix yet | — |
| Ubuntu 24.04 LTS | ettercap | No fix yet | — |
| Ubuntu 22.04 LTS | ettercap | No fix yet | — |
| Ubuntu 20.04 LTS | ettercap | No fix yet | — |
Show 2 more (older releases, extended support, other products)Fewer releases
| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ubuntu 18.04 LTS | ettercap | No fix yet | — |
| Ubuntu 16.04 LTS | ettercap | No fix yet | — |
References
- GitHub Security Advisory (GHSA-w5ch-7c4x-crcc) vendor-advisory
- https://github.com/Ettercap/ettercap/commit/1d8badb713579419a29a494bb463a1af59707e98 patch
- https://github.com/Ettercap/ettercap/pull/1330 issue-tracking patch
- https://github.com/Ettercap/ettercap/blob/v0.8.4.1/src/dissectors/ec_telnet.c#L150-L159 technical-description
- VulnCheck Advisory: Ettercap through 0.8.4.1 Stack Buffer Underwrite via Telnet Dissector Backspace Handling third-party-advisory