CVE-2017-13002 in macOS
Summary
by MITRE
The AODV parser in tcpdump before 4.9.2 has a buffer over-read in print-aodv.c:aodv_extension().
VulDB is the best source for vulnerability data and more expert information about this specific topic.
Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 12/05/2025
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2017-13002 represents a critical buffer over-read flaw within the Ad hoc On-Demand Distance Vector routing protocol parser of tcpdump software version 4.9.1 and earlier. This issue manifests specifically in the print-aodv.c source file at the aodv_extension() function, where insufficient input validation leads to improper memory access patterns. The vulnerability occurs when tcpdump processes network packets containing AODV routing information, creating conditions where the parser attempts to read beyond the boundaries of allocated memory buffers.
The technical implementation of this flaw involves the AODV parser's failure to properly validate the length of extension headers within AODV routing messages before attempting to parse their contents. When malformed or unusually large extension headers are encountered in network traffic, the parser continues processing beyond the intended buffer boundaries, potentially accessing uninitialized memory regions or memory belonging to other data structures. This over-read condition can result in information disclosure, application instability, or in some scenarios, remote code execution depending on the specific memory layout and subsequent processing of the read data.
From an operational perspective, this vulnerability poses significant risks to network monitoring and security analysis systems that rely on tcpdump for packet inspection. Network administrators and security analysts using affected versions of tcpdump may experience unexpected application crashes, data corruption, or information leakage when processing maliciously crafted AODV packets. The impact extends beyond simple application crashes as the over-read could potentially expose sensitive information from adjacent memory regions, including credentials, cryptographic keys, or other confidential data that might be stored in memory adjacent to the affected buffer. This vulnerability particularly affects wireless network monitoring scenarios where AODV routing protocols are actively used, such as in mobile ad-hoc networks or wireless mesh networks.
The vulnerability aligns with CWE-125: Out-of-bounds Read, which classifies this issue as a memory safety problem where an application reads data past the end of a valid buffer. From an adversarial perspective, this flaw maps to ATT&CK technique T1059.007: Command and Scripting Interpreter: Python, though more directly to T1046: Network Service Scanning and T1592: Gather Victim Host Information, as attackers could potentially leverage this to gather information about network infrastructure or to craft more sophisticated attacks. Organizations using tcpdump for network security monitoring, intrusion detection, or forensic analysis should prioritize immediate remediation through version updates to tcpdump 4.9.2 or later, which includes proper bounds checking and input validation for AODV extension headers. Additional mitigations include network segmentation, packet filtering rules that limit AODV traffic, and monitoring for anomalous packet patterns that might indicate exploitation attempts. The fix implemented in tcpdump 4.9.2 demonstrates proper defensive programming practices by ensuring that all input data is validated against expected buffer sizes before any parsing operations occur, preventing the over-read condition that previously allowed unauthorized memory access.