CVE-2018-16228 Memory corruption in n/a

Critical 9.8 Published 3 Oct 2019 Updated 3 Dec 2025

A buffer over-read in the HNCP parser allows attackers to cause denial of service or disclose sensitive memory contents via crafted packets.

Exploited in the wild: Not known
Login needed: Not needed
Attackable: Over the internet
Victim action needed: Not needed
Fix: Available

What is CVE-2018-16228?

CVE-2018-16228 is a critical memory corruption vulnerability in Apple Mac Os X, published on 3 Oct 2019. An attacker can exploit it over the internet without logging in, with no action from the victim.

Official description

The HNCP parser in tcpdump before 4.9.3 has a buffer over-read in print-hncp.c:print_prefix().

Weakness: CWE-125

Which versions are affected by CVE-2018-16228?

It affects 6 products.

Products include Apple Mac Os X, Debian Debian Linux, Fedoraproject Fedora, Opensuse Leap, Redhat Enterprise Linux, Tcpdump Tcpdump.

How do I fix CVE-2018-16228?

Upgrade to a fixed version.

Upgrade to the fixed version. Memory-safe languages, compiler hardening and fuzzing prevent most new cases. More about Memory corruption.

Is CVE-2018-16228 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2018-16228 in the wild and no public exploit code.

All Apple Mac Os X vulnerabilities

Sources

Also known as ALPINE-CVE-2018-16228, DEBIAN-CVE-2018-16228, GHSA-qcfp-9c2v-6hq6, UBUNTU-CVE-2018-16228.