CVE-2018-16452

CVE-2018-16452 is a high-severity vulnerability in Tcpdump with a CVSS 3.x base score of 7.5. It is not currently listed as actively exploited by CISA, and its EPSS exploit-prediction score is low. The underlying weakness is classified as CWE-674.

Key facts

• Severity: High (CVSS 3.x base score 7.5)
• CVSS v2: 5.0
• EPSS exploit prediction: 4% (90th percentile)
• Actively exploited: Not listed in CISA KEV
• Weakness: CWE-674
• Affected product: Tcpdump
• Published: 2019-10-03
• Last modified: 2026-06-17

Description

The SMB parser in tcpdump before 4.9.3 has stack exhaustion in smbutil.c:smb_fdata() via recursion.

Frequently asked questions

What is CVE-2018-16452?

The SMB parser in tcpdump before 4.9.3 has stack exhaustion in smbutil.c:smb_fdata() via recursion.

How severe is CVE-2018-16452?

CVE-2018-16452 has a CVSS 3.x base score of 7.5, rated high severity. It is exploitable over network with low attack complexity, requires no privileges and no user interaction. Impact on confidentiality is none, integrity none, and availability high.

Is CVE-2018-16452 being actively exploited?

It is not currently listed in CISA's KEV catalog. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score is 4% (90th percentile), an estimate of the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.

What products are affected by CVE-2018-16452?

CVE-2018-16452 affects Tcpdump. See the affected-products list for the exact vulnerable versions.

How do I fix CVE-2018-16452?

Review the linked vendor and NVD advisories for patched versions and mitigations, then upgrade or apply the recommended workaround. Given its high severity, prioritise patching exposed systems.

When was CVE-2018-16452 published?

CVE-2018-16452 was published on 2019-10-03 and last updated on 2026-06-17.

References

• http://lists.opensuse.org/opensuse-security-announce/2019-10/msg00050.html
• http://lists.opensuse.org/opensuse-security-announce/2019-10/msg00053.html
• http://seclists.org/fulldisclosure/2019/Dec/26
• https://github.com/the-tcpdump-group/tcpdump/blob/tcpdump-4.9/CHANGES
• https://github.com/the-tcpdump-group/tcpdump/commit/24182d959f661327525a20d9a94c98a8ec016778
• https://lists.debian.org/debian-lts-announce/2019/10/msg00015.html
• 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/23
• https://seclists.org/bugtraq/2019/Oct/28
• https://security.netapp.com/advisory/ntap-20200120-0001/
• https://support.apple.com/kb/HT210788
• https://usn.ubuntu.com/4252-1/
• https://usn.ubuntu.com/4252-2/
• https://www.debian.org/security/2019/dsa-4547

Affected products (1)

• cpe:2.3:a:tcpdump:tcpdump:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*

More vulnerabilities in Tcpdump

• CVE-2018-10105 — Critical (CVSS 9.8): tcpdump before 4.9.3 mishandles the printing of SMB data (issue 2 of 2).
• CVE-2018-10103 — Critical (CVSS 9.8): tcpdump before 4.9.3 mishandles the printing of SMB data (issue 1 of 2).
• CVE-2017-13725 — Critical (CVSS 9.8): The IPv6 routing header parser in tcpdump before 4.9.2 has a buffer over-read in print-rt6.c:rt6_print().
• CVE-2017-13690 — Critical (CVSS 9.8): The IKEv2 parser in tcpdump before 4.9.2 has a buffer over-read in print-isakmp.c, several functions.
• CVE-2017-13689 — Critical (CVSS 9.8): The IKEv1 parser in tcpdump before 4.9.2 has a buffer over-read in print-isakmp.c:ikev1_id_print().
• CVE-2017-13688 — Critical (CVSS 9.8): The OLSR parser in tcpdump before 4.9.2 has a buffer over-read in print-olsr.c:olsr_print().

All CVEs affecting Tcpdump →

Other CWE-674 (Uncontrolled Recursion) vulnerabilities

• CVE-2026-43185 — Critical (CVSS 9.8): In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: ksmbd: fix signededness bug in…
• CVE-2023-51803 — Critical (CVSS 9.8): LinuxServer.io Heimdall before 2.5.7 does not prevent use of icons that have non-image data such as the "<?php ?>"…
• CVE-2021-41752 — Critical (CVSS 9.8): Stack overflow vulnerability in Jerryscript before commit e1ce7dd7271288be8c0c8136eea9107df73a8ce2 on Oct 20, 2021 due…
• CVE-2018-1000618 — Critical (CVSS 9.8): EOSIO/eos eos version after commit f1545dd0ae2b77580c2236fdb70ae7138d2c7168 contains a stack overflow vulnerability in…
• CVE-2025-10728 — Critical (CVSS 9.4): When the module renders a Svg file that contains a <pattern> element, it might end up rendering it recursively leading…
• CVE-2026-40324 — Critical (CVSS 9.1): Hot Chocolate is an open-source GraphQL server. Prior to versions 12.22.7, 13.9.16, 14.3.1, and 15.1.14, Hot…

Browse all CWE-674 (Uncontrolled Recursion) vulnerabilities →