Security readout for executives and security teams
Plain-English summary
CVE-2026-25061 affects tcpflow up to 1.61 when parsing certain Wi-Fi management frame data. A maliciously crafted frame can write one byte outside a stack buffer. The likely business impact is service disruption during packet analysis; code execution is described as possible but unproven in the provided sources.
Executive priority
Treat as a medium-priority remediation item for security, forensics, and network-analysis systems. Prioritize environments handling untrusted Wi-Fi captures because disruption of analysis tooling is the most supported impact.
Technical view
In tcpflow wifipcap, TIM element parsing checks the wrong length field. A large TIM length can cause a 1-byte out-of-bounds write past tim.bitmap[251] in stack-allocated structures used by handle_beacon() and related handlers. The issue is classified as CWE-787 with CVSS 4.0 score 5.5.
Likely exposure
Exposure is most relevant where tcpflow versions up to and including 1.61 process untrusted 802.11 management frames, including wireless captures or traffic sources. Environments not using tcpflow or not parsing Wi-Fi capture data are less likely to be affected.
Exploitation context
The source bundle does not indicate active exploitation, and KEV status is false. Exploitation requires a crafted 802.11 management frame with abnormal TIM length handling. The provided assessment says denial of service is likely, while code execution remains uncertain.
Researcher notes
Evidence supports a small stack out-of-bounds write in TIM parsing. The advisory notes DoS as likely and code execution as unresolved. No exploit status or definitive upstream patch is provided in the source bundle, so validation should focus on versioning, parsing paths, and vendor advisory updates.
Mitigation direction
- Identify tcpflow deployments and versions, prioritizing systems processing Wi-Fi captures.
- Limit processing of untrusted 802.11 capture data where operationally possible.
- Check upstream tcpflow and distribution advisories for patches or vendor guidance.
- Apply vendor or distribution updates when available and validated.
Validation and detection
- Inventory hosts and containers with tcpflow installed.
- Confirm whether installed versions are 1.61 or earlier.
- Determine whether tcpflow processes 802.11 management frame data.
- Review vendor and Debian advisory status for fixed package information.
Public sources used
Generated from the cited source records. This long-tail analysis has not been individually reviewed by a named human.
Conservative CVE-to-ATT&CK context
These mappings and lookup hints may be relevant to the vulnerability behavior, CWE, affected product, or exposure path. Glexia-inferred context is not an official MITRE, ATT&CK, CWE, or CVE Program mapping.
ATT&CK lookup starting points
Use these exact CWE pages and searches to review the Glexia ATT&CK library from this CVE's weakness and description context.
CWE-787: Exact CWE lookup
Use the exact CWE identifier as the starting point before reviewing related ATT&CK behavior. Open the exact CWE lookup page first, then review the ATT&CK searches from that MITRE weakness context. This is a Glexia lookup hint, not an official ATT&CK mapping.
Open ATT&CK lookupExecution behavior lookup
The CVE wording references code or command execution, so execution technique review may help defensive triage. This is a Glexia inferred lookup path, not an official MITRE, ATT&CK, or CVE Program mapping.
Open ATT&CK lookupCVE-2026-25061 mapping review
Open the CVE-to-ATT&CK bridge for reviewed, inferred, or future official mappings tied to this CVE.
Open ATT&CK lookup- Severity
- Medium
- CVSS
- 5.5 (4.0)
- Known Exploited
- No
- Published
Vector: CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:N/UI:N/VC:N/VI:N/VA:L/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N/E:P
CNA and ADP enrichment extracted from CVE v5
These fields come from the CVE record and ADP containers, not from Glexia's Take. They preserve time-varying source decisions such as CISA SSVC, KEV status, CVSS metrics, and provider references.
CVSS vector scores
1 official scoreWe collect every scored CVSS vector available in the official CNA and ADP containers. When more than one version is present, the table keeps the source vectors side by side instead of collapsing them into the highest score.
CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:N/UI:N/VC:N/VI:N/VA:L/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N/E:P——Primary CVE scoreVulnerability scoring details
Base CVSS 4.0 score
5.5MediumVector: CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:N/UI:N/VC:N/VI:N/VA:L/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N/E:P
Source materials
- CVE List V5 sourceCVE List V5
- https://github.com/simsong/tcpflow/security/advisories/GHSA-q5q6-frrv-9rj6CVE reference · x_refsource_CONFIRM
- https://lists.debian.org/debian-lts-announce/2026/02/msg00014.htmlCVE reference
Products and packages named in the record
CWE details
CWE links open Glexia weakness intelligence pages with official CWE context, developer remediation guidance, and related CVE mappings.
Out-of-bounds Write
Out-of-bounds Write represents a recurring weakness pattern that can create exploitable paths when design, validation, or implementation controls are missing.