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PatchSiren cyber security CVE debrief

CVE-2016-7922 Tcpdump CVE debrief

CVE-2016-7922 is a critical tcpdump flaw in the AH parser that can trigger a buffer overflow in print-ah.c:ah_print() while processing packet data. NVD rates it 9.8 with a network attack vector and no user interaction, and the vulnerable version range in the NVD CPE data extends through tcpdump 4.8.1. This should be treated as an immediate patch priority for any environment that parses untrusted traffic or capture files.

Vendor
Tcpdump
Product
Unknown
CVSS
CRITICAL 9.8
CISA KEV
Not listed in stored evidence
Original CVE published
2017-01-28
Original CVE updated
2026-05-13
Advisory published
2017-01-28
Advisory updated
2026-05-13

Who should care

Security teams, network operations staff, packet-capture analysts, incident responders, and distro/package maintainers running tcpdump or embedding it in troubleshooting workflows.

Technical summary

The issue is a memory-safety bug in tcpdump’s AH parser, specifically a buffer overflow in print-ah.c:ah_print(). NVD assigns CWE-119 and a CVSS 3.0 score of 9.8 (AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H), indicating a remotely reachable parsing flaw with high impact. The NVD CPE data marks tcpdump versions up to 4.8.1 as vulnerable, while the CVE description states the issue is present in tcpdump before 4.9.0. Downstream advisories from Debian, Red Hat, and Gentoo are listed in the record as corroborating references.

Defensive priority

Immediate — critical severity, network-reachable parser bug, and high confidentiality/integrity/availability impact.

Recommended defensive actions

  • Upgrade tcpdump to 4.9.0 or later, or install the vendor-fixed package for your distribution.
  • Inventory systems that run tcpdump and prioritize hosts that handle untrusted packet captures or live network data.
  • Until patched, limit tcpdump use to trusted inputs and avoid processing capture files from unverified sources.
  • Verify remediation against your platform’s advisory or errata feed, including Debian, Red Hat, or Gentoo package guidance where applicable.
  • Reconfirm post-upgrade that capture and analysis workflows still function correctly after applying the fix.

Evidence notes

The supplied NVD record describes an AH parser buffer overflow in print-ah.c:ah_print() and assigns CWE-119. The CVE/NVD data published on 2017-01-28 lists tcpdump versions through 4.8.1 as vulnerable, and the record includes downstream advisories from Debian, Red Hat, and Gentoo as corroborating references. The provided enrichment does not mark this CVE as CISA KEV.

Sources and references

Verified primary and authoritative sources

  • CVE-2016-7922 CVE Program record

    Publisher, destination, and source semantics verified

    URL: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2016-7922

    CVE Program - Official CVE Program record with source-provided CVE metadata.

  • CVE-2016-7922 NVD vulnerability detail

    Publisher, destination, and source semantics verified

    URL: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2016-7922

    NIST National Vulnerability Database - Official NIST NVD detail page and source-specific vulnerability assessment.

Supplemental references

Methodology and review provenance

AI-assisted synthesis based on stored public vulnerability evidence. System validation, approval state, and publication status do not by themselves establish human review of this revision. PatchSiren helps prioritize defensive review and does not prove exposure or remediation on any system.