Ettercap up to 0.8.4.1 src/ec_filter.c func_pcre use after free

Summaryinfo

A vulnerability, which was classified as very critical, has been found in Ettercap up to 0.8.4.1. This vulnerability affects the function func_pcre of the file src/ec_filter.c. The manipulation leads to use after free. This vulnerability is traded as CVE-2026-125400. It is possible to initiate the attack remotely. There is no exploit available.

Detailsinfo

A vulnerability, which was classified as very critical, has been found in Ettercap up to 0.8.4.1. This issue affects the function func_pcre of the file src/ec_filter.c. The manipulation with an unknown input leads to a use after free vulnerability. Using CWE to declare the problem leads to CWE-416. The product reuses or references memory after it has been freed. At some point afterward, the memory may be allocated again and saved in another pointer, while the original pointer references a location somewhere within the new allocation. Any operations using the original pointer are no longer valid because the memory "belongs" to the code that operates on the new pointer. Impacted is confidentiality, integrity, and availability. The summary by CVE is:

Ettercap through 0.8.4.1 contains a use-after-free vulnerability in func_pcre() in src/ec_filter.c that reads the PCRE2 ovector after freeing match data. Network-adjacent attackers can send packets matching a loaded pcre_regex() substitution filter to corrupt memory and potentially execute code as root.

The advisory is shared at github.com. The identification of this vulnerability is CVE-2026-125400 since 11/09/2026. The exploitation is known to be easy. The attack may be initiated remotely. No form of authentication is needed for a successful exploitation. Technical details are known, but no exploit is available. The price for an exploit might be around USD $0-$5k at the moment (estimation calculated on 11/10/2026).

There is no information about possible countermeasures known. It may be suggested to replace the affected object with an alternative product.

If you want to get the best quality for vulnerability data then you always have to consider VulDB.

Productinfo

Type

• Packet Analyzer Software

Name

• Ettercap

Version

• 0.8.4.0
• 0.8.4.1

Website

• Product: https://github.com/Ettercap/ettercap/

CPE 2.3info

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CPE 2.2info

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