Vulnerability in The Tcpdump Group Libpcap
CVE-2026-18238
The rpcap client code that processes a RPCAP_MSG_PACKET message received from the server incorrectly validates its headers. A malicious server can send a crafted message and cause the client to treat up to 20 bytes of the client process memory beyond the end of the buffer as if it was a part of the captured packet.
CVSS v3 metric
CVSS v3 base score 5.0 (Medium). Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:C/C:L/I:N/A:N.
Affected products
- The Tcpdump Group Libpcap — versions 1.8.x, 1.9.x
Weakness classification (CWE)
References
- security@tcpdump.org (patch)
Frequently asked questions
- What is CVE-2026-18238?
- CVE-2026-18238 is a medium-severity vulnerability in The Tcpdump Group Libpcap, classified under Buffer Over-read. CVSS score: 5.0/10. Published 2026-09-05.
- How severe is CVE-2026-18238?
- Medium severity. CVSS v3 base score is 5.0 out of 10.