CVE-2016-7926: The Ethernet parser in tcpdump before 4.9.0 has a buffer overflow in print-ether.c:ethertype_print().

Security readout for executives and security teams

CVE-2016-7926 is a buffer overflow in tcpdump’s Ethernet packet parser before version 4.9.0. If tcpdump processes malicious or malformed Ethernet data, it may crash or corrupt memory. This primarily affects systems where tcpdump is used for packet capture or analysis. Exposure is likely on Linux or Unix systems with tcpdump versions earlier than 4.9.0, including distributions covered by Debian, Red Hat, and Gentoo advisories. Risk increases where tcpdump parses live network traffic or packet capture files from untrusted sources. Treat as a routine but important patching item for monitoring, network operations, and incident-response systems. It is not listed in KEV, but vulnerable tcpdump deployments can be exposed during normal packet analysis workflows. Mitigation focus: Upgrade tcpdump to 4.9.0 or a vendor-patched package.; Apply relevant Debian, Red Hat, or Gentoo security updates.; Avoid processing untrusted packet captures with vulnerable tcpdump versions..

Prepared

Jun 13, 2026, 09:13 UTC (UTC+00:00)

Generated from the cited source records. This long-tail analysis has not been individually reviewed by a named human.