# CVE-2017-6178: Null dereference in n/a

> Local attackers can escalate privileges via a crafted IOCTL call triggering a NULL pointer dereference in the USBPcap driver.

- **Severity:** High 7.8 (`CVSS:3.0/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H`)
- **Exploited in the wild:** Not known
- **Login needed:** Any signed-in user
- **Attackable:** Local or same network only
- **Victim action needed:** Not needed
- **Fix available:** No
- **Published:** 20 Mar 2017
- **Updated:** 5 Aug 2024
- **Also known as:** GHSA-9573-wpfg-j5fh

## What is CVE-2017-6178?

CVE-2017-6178 is a high-severity vulnerability in n/a, published on 20 Mar 2017. It can only be exploited from the same machine or local network, with no action from the victim.

### Official description

The IofCallDriver function in USBPcap 1.1.0.0 allows local users to gain privileges via a crafted 0x00090028 IOCTL call, which triggers a NULL pointer dereference.

Weakness: CWE-476 (NULL Pointer Dereference)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2017-6178?

It affects 1 product.


Products: Usbpcap Project Usbpcap.

## How do I fix CVE-2017-6178?

No fix has been published for CVE-2017-6178 yet. Limit exposure of the affected software until one is available.

## Is CVE-2017-6178 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2017-6178 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Public exploit code:

- USBPcap 1.1.0.0 (WireShark 2.2.5) - Local Privilege Escalation (exploitdb)

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2017-6178 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2017-6178 is a high-severity vulnerability in n/a, published on 20 Mar 2017. It can only be exploited from the same machine or local network, with no action from the victim.
Exploitation: There is no known exploitation of CVE-2017-6178 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Affected product: n/a. No package-level version data is available, so check the vendor advisory linked from the reference page.

Task:
1. Search the dependency manifests and lockfiles (for example package.json, package-lock.json, requirements.txt, poetry.lock, uv.lock, pom.xml, build.gradle, go.mod, Cargo.lock, Gemfile.lock) and any Dockerfiles for the affected packages, including transitive dependencies.
2. If an affected version is in use, upgrade it to the fixed version for its release line with the project's package manager, so the lockfile is regenerated. Prefer the smallest upgrade that fixes it.
3. If there is no fix, or the upgrade would break the build, do not guess: explain the risk and the safest workaround instead.
4. Run the tests and summarise what changed and why.
5. If nothing in the project is affected, say so and change nothing.

Reference: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2017-6178/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2017-6178/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2017-6178
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2017-6178
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2017-6178

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2017-6178/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.