How severe is CVE-2023-7256?

CVE-2023-7256 has a CVSS 3.x base score of 4.4, rated medium severity. It is exploitable over local access with low attack complexity, requires high privileges and no user interaction. Impact on confidentiality is none, integrity none, and availability high.

Is CVE-2023-7256 being actively exploited?

It is not currently listed in CISA's KEV catalog. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score is 0% (13th percentile), an estimate of the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.

What products are affected by CVE-2023-7256?

CVE-2023-7256 affects Tcpdump Libpcap. See the affected-products list for the exact vulnerable versions.

How do I fix CVE-2023-7256?

Review the linked vendor and NVD advisories for patched versions and mitigations, then upgrade or apply the recommended workaround.

Does CVE-2023-7256 have an EU (EUVD) identifier?

Yes. CVE-2023-7256 is tracked in the ENISA EU Vulnerability Database (EUVD) as EUVD-2023-59437.

When was CVE-2023-7256 published?

CVE-2023-7256 was published on 2024-08-31 and last updated on 2026-06-17.

CVE-2023-7256

CVE-2023-7256 is a medium-severity vulnerability in Tcpdump Libpcap with a CVSS 3.x base score of 4.4. 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-415.

Key facts

Severity: Medium (CVSS 3.x base score 4.4)
EPSS exploit prediction: 0% (13th percentile)
Actively exploited: Not listed in CISA KEV
EU (EUVD) id: EUVD-2023-59437
Weakness: CWE-415
Affected product: Tcpdump Libpcap
Published: 2024-08-31
Last modified: 2026-06-17

Description

In affected libpcap versions during the setup of a remote packet capture the internal function sock_initaddress() calls getaddrinfo() and possibly freeaddrinfo(), but does not clearly indicate to the caller function whether freeaddrinfo() still remains to be called after the function returns. This makes it possible in some scenarios that both the function and its caller call freeaddrinfo() for the same allocated memory block. A similar problem was reported in Apple libpcap, to which Apple assigned CVE-2023-40400.

Frequently asked questions

What is CVE-2023-7256?: In affected libpcap versions during the setup of a remote packet capture the internal function sock_initaddress() calls getaddrinfo() and possibly freeaddrinfo(), but does not clearly indicate to the caller function whether freeaddrinfo() still remains to be called after the function returns. This makes it possible in some scenarios that both the function and its caller call freeaddrinfo() for the same allocated memory block. A similar problem was reported in Apple libpcap, to which Apple assigned CVE-2023-40400.
How severe is CVE-2023-7256?: CVE-2023-7256 has a CVSS 3.x base score of 4.4, rated medium severity. It is exploitable over local access with low attack complexity, requires high privileges and no user interaction. Impact on confidentiality is none, integrity none, and availability high.
Is CVE-2023-7256 being actively exploited?: It is not currently listed in CISA's KEV catalog. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score is 0% (13th percentile), an estimate of the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.
What products are affected by CVE-2023-7256?: CVE-2023-7256 affects Tcpdump Libpcap. See the affected-products list for the exact vulnerable versions.
How do I fix CVE-2023-7256?: Review the linked vendor and NVD advisories for patched versions and mitigations, then upgrade or apply the recommended workaround.
Does CVE-2023-7256 have an EU (EUVD) identifier?: Yes. CVE-2023-7256 is tracked in the ENISA EU Vulnerability Database (EUVD) as EUVD-2023-59437.
When was CVE-2023-7256 published?: CVE-2023-7256 was published on 2024-08-31 and last updated on 2026-06-17.

References

Affected products (1)

cpe:2.3:a:tcpdump:libpcap:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*

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