CVE-2016-7939: The GRE parser in tcpdump before 4.9.0 has a buffer overflow in print-gre.c, multiple functions.

Security readout for executives and security teams

CVE-2016-7939 is a buffer overflow in tcpdump’s GRE packet parser before version 4.9.0. A malformed GRE packet or capture file could cause unsafe memory handling while tcpdump analyzes traffic. This mainly affects systems where tcpdump is used on untrusted networks or files. Exposure is likely on systems running tcpdump versions earlier than 4.9.0, especially network monitoring hosts, incident response workstations, appliances, or servers where tcpdump processes live traffic or packet captures. Address during normal vulnerability remediation, with higher priority for monitoring infrastructure and security teams handling untrusted captures. There is no sourced evidence of active exploitation, but packet parsers are exposed to attacker-controlled data. Mitigation focus: Identify installed tcpdump versions across servers, appliances, and analyst workstations.; Upgrade tcpdump to version 4.9.0 or a vendor-fixed package.; Review Debian, Red Hat, or Gentoo advisories where applicable..

Prepared

Jun 13, 2026, 09:20 UTC (UTC+00:00)

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