HOMEVULNERABILITIESCVE-2018-14879
HIGH

CVE-2018-14879

CWE-120Published: October 3, 2019· Updated: Jun 17, 2026

7.0
CVSS v3.1

Official Description

The command-line argument parser in tcpdump before 4.9.3 has a buffer overflow in tcpdump.c:get_next_file().

NVD Source

Technical Analysis

CVE-2018-14879 requires local access, meaning attackers must already have a foothold on the target system.

Exploitation does not require any privileges, though user interaction (Required) is needed, which slightly reduces the risk of mass automated attacks.

A successful exploit results in complete confidentiality breach (data exposure), full integrity compromise (data manipulation), availability disruption (denial of service), with a CVSS base score of 7.0.

CVSS v3.1 Vector Breakdown

Exploitability
Attack VectorLocal
Attack ComplexityHigh
Privileges Req.None
User InteractionRequired
ScopeUnchanged
Impact
ConfidentialityHigh
IntegrityHigh
AvailabilityHigh
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:H/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

Affected Vendors & Products

Apple1 product(s)
mac os x
Debian1 product(s)
debian linux
f51 product(s)
traffix signaling delivery controller
Fedora1 product(s)
fedora
openSUSE1 product(s)
leap
Red Hat1 product(s)
enterprise linux
tcpdump1 product(s)
tcpdump
Source: NVD CPE · 13 total CPE entries

Exploit & PoC Resources

NO KNOWN EXPLOITNo public exploit confirmed at this time
Exploit-DB
Offensive Security exploit database
GitHub PoC Search
Community PoC repositories
Rapid7 / Metasploit
Metasploit module search
PacketStorm
Security advisories & exploits
NVD Detail
Official NIST entry
MITRE CVE
CVE Program entry
External links open in a new tab. Always verify in a controlled environment before use.

Official Patches & Advisories

PATCHhttps://github.com/the-tcpdump-group/tcpdump/commit/9ba91381954ad325ea4fd26b9c65a8bd9a2a85b6
PATCHhttps://github.com/the-tcpdump-group/tcpdump/commit/9ba91381954ad325ea4fd26b9c65a8bd9a2a85b6
ADVISORYhttp://lists.opensuse.org/opensuse-security-announce/2019-10/msg00050.html
ADVISORYhttp://lists.opensuse.org/opensuse-security-announce/2019-10/msg00053.html
ADVISORYhttp://seclists.org/fulldisclosure/2019/Dec/26
ADVISORYhttps://github.com/the-tcpdump-group/tcpdump/blob/tcpdump-4.9/CHANGES
ADVISORYhttps://lists.debian.org/debian-lts-announce/2019/10/msg00015.html
ADVISORYhttps://seclists.org/bugtraq/2019/Dec/23
ADVISORYhttps://seclists.org/bugtraq/2019/Oct/28
ADVISORYhttps://support.apple.com/kb/HT210788
ADVISORYhttps://www.debian.org/security/2019/dsa-4547
ADVISORYhttp://lists.opensuse.org/opensuse-security-announce/2019-10/msg00050.html
ADVISORYhttp://lists.opensuse.org/opensuse-security-announce/2019-10/msg00053.html
ADVISORYhttp://seclists.org/fulldisclosure/2019/Dec/26
ADVISORYhttps://github.com/the-tcpdump-group/tcpdump/blob/tcpdump-4.9/CHANGES
ADVISORYhttps://lists.debian.org/debian-lts-announce/2019/10/msg00015.html
ADVISORYhttps://seclists.org/bugtraq/2019/Dec/23
ADVISORYhttps://seclists.org/bugtraq/2019/Oct/28
ADVISORYhttps://support.apple.com/kb/HT210788
ADVISORYhttps://www.debian.org/security/2019/dsa-4547

All References (34)

→
http://lists.opensuse.org/opensuse-security-announce/2019-10/msg00050.htmlThird Party Advisory
→
http://lists.opensuse.org/opensuse-security-announce/2019-10/msg00053.htmlThird Party Advisory
→
http://seclists.org/fulldisclosure/2019/Dec/26Mailing List · Third Party Advisory
→
https://github.com/the-tcpdump-group/tcpdump/blob/tcpdump-4.9/CHANGESRelease Notes · Third Party Advisory
→
https://github.com/the-tcpdump-group/tcpdump/commit/9ba91381954ad325ea4fd26b9c65a8bd9a2a85b6Patch · Third Party Advisory
→
https://lists.debian.org/debian-lts-announce/2019/10/msg00015.htmlThird Party Advisory
→
https://lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/package-announce%40lists.fedoraproject.org/message/62XY42U6HY3H2APR5EHNWCZ7SAQNMMJN/
→
https://lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/package-announce%40lists.fedoraproject.org/message/FNYXF3IY2X65IOD422SA6EQUULSGW7FN/
→
https://lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/package-announce%40lists.fedoraproject.org/message/R2UDPOSGVJQIYC33SQBXMDXHH4QDSDMU/
→
https://seclists.org/bugtraq/2019/Dec/23Mailing List · Third Party Advisory
→
https://seclists.org/bugtraq/2019/Oct/28Mailing List · Third Party Advisory
→
https://security.netapp.com/advisory/ntap-20200120-0001/
→
https://support.apple.com/kb/HT210788Third Party Advisory
→
https://support.f5.com/csp/article/K51512510?utm_source=f5support&amp%3Butm_medium=RSS
→
https://usn.ubuntu.com/4252-1/

Quick Facts

CVE IDCVE-2018-14879
CVSS Score7.0 / 10
SeverityHIGH
WeaknessCWE-120
CISA KEVNo
Affected7 vendor(s)
PublishedOct 3, 2019

Related CVEs (CWE-120)

CVE-2022-22570
10.0
CVE-2010-10016
10.0
CVE-1999-0385
10.0
CVE-2001-0191
10.0
CVE-2012-10035
10.0
CVE-2008-3496
10.0

Recommended Actions

  • →Apply vendor patches immediately
  • →Monitor CVE-2018-14879 in threat intel feeds
  • →Review IDS/IPS signatures for exploitation attempts
Data sourced from NVD (NIST), CISA KEV, and EPSS (FIRST). Analysis generated by CTIWATCH.COM. CVE data is provided under the NVD usage policy.
← All Vulnerabilities·Search for CVE-2018-14879·NVD