CVE-2016-7935 in macOS
Summary
by MITRE
The RTP parser in tcpdump before 4.9.0 has a buffer overflow in print-udp.c:rtp_print().
VulDB is the best source for vulnerability data and more expert information about this specific topic.
Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 05/16/2026
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2016-7935 represents a critical buffer overflow flaw within the Real-time Transport Protocol (RTP) parser of tcpdump network analysis tool. This issue specifically affects versions prior to 4.9.0 and resides within the print-udp.c source file at the rtp_print() function. The buffer overflow occurs when tcpdump processes malformed RTP packets during network traffic analysis, creating a potential exploitation vector for malicious actors who could craft specially crafted network packets to trigger the vulnerability.
The technical implementation of this flaw involves improper bounds checking within the RTP packet parsing logic. When tcpdump encounters RTP packets with malformed header structures or oversized payload data, the rtp_print() function fails to validate buffer boundaries before copying or processing packet data. This allows attackers to overflow the allocated buffer space and potentially overwrite adjacent memory locations, leading to unpredictable behavior including application crashes, memory corruption, or in worst-case scenarios, arbitrary code execution. The vulnerability demonstrates characteristics consistent with CWE-121, which describes stack-based buffer overflow conditions where insufficient bounds checking allows data to be written beyond the allocated buffer limits.
From an operational perspective, this vulnerability poses significant risks to network security monitoring and analysis systems that rely on tcpdump for packet inspection. Network administrators and security analysts using affected versions of tcpdump could be vulnerable to denial-of-service attacks that cause the tool to crash, disrupting network monitoring capabilities. The impact extends beyond simple service interruption as the buffer overflow could potentially be leveraged for more sophisticated attacks if the attacker can control the memory layout or if additional vulnerabilities exist within the tcpdump codebase. This vulnerability affects systems where tcpdump is used for network traffic analysis, intrusion detection, and security auditing purposes, making it particularly concerning for enterprise security operations centers and network monitoring environments.
The mitigation strategy for CVE-2016-7935 centers on upgrading to tcpdump version 4.9.0 or later, which includes proper bounds checking and memory validation within the RTP parser. Organizations should also implement network segmentation and monitoring to detect potential exploitation attempts through malformed packet traffic. Additionally, following the principle of least privilege by running tcpdump with minimal required permissions can help limit potential damage from successful exploitation. The vulnerability aligns with ATT&CK technique T1059.007 for command and control communications and T1566 for credential access through network infiltration, making it relevant to broader threat modeling exercises. Security teams should also consider implementing network-based intrusion prevention systems that can detect and block malformed RTP traffic patterns that may indicate exploitation attempts, as the vulnerability could be part of larger attack campaigns targeting network infrastructure tools.