---
id: CVE-2018-16301
title: >-
  The command-line argument parser in tcpdump before 4.99.0 has a buffer
  overflow in tcpdump.c:read_infile()
summary: >-
  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…
severity: high
cvss: 7.8
cvssVector: 'CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H'
cwe:
  - CWE-190
  - CWE-787
  - CWE-120
vendor: tcpdump
product: tcpdump
affected:
  - tcpdump < 4.99.0
patched:
  - tcpdump 4.99.0
published: '2019-10-03'
updated: '2026-10-08'
sourceUpdated: '2026-10-08T22:16:45.897'
source: NVD
sourceUrl: 'https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2018-16301'
references:
  - url: >-
      https://github.com/the-tcpdump-group/tcpdump/commit/ad7c25bc0decf96dc7768c9e903734d38528b1bd
    label: security@tcpdump.org
  - url: >-
      https://github.com/the-tcpdump-group/tcpdump/commit/ad7c25bc0decf96dc7768c9e903734d38528b1bd
    label: af854a3a-2127-422b-91ae-364da2661108
tags:
  - nvd
epss: 0.00626
epssPercentile: 0.48371
ingestedAt: '2026-10-08T23:16:47.300Z'
---

## Overview

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.

## Affected

- `tcpdump < 4.99.0`

## Remediation

Upgrade past the affected range:

- `tcpdump 4.99.0`