CVE-2023-7256

Application crash via sock_initaddress double-free

Published Aug 30, 2024 · Updated Sep 3, 2024

Double-free in libpcap before 1.10.5 allows local users with high privileges to crash applications during remote packet-capture setup. sock_initaddress() can free a getaddrinfo() result on an error without unambiguously transferring ownership, so its caller frees the same allocation again. The path exists only in builds with experimental remote-capture support, which the upstream CMake configuration disables by default; the reported consequence is an availability-only application crash.

CVSS severity4.4
Medium
EPSS probability0.24%
Next 30 days · Sep 16, 2026
Known exploitationUnconfirmed
Based on sourced intelligence
Hinoki checkNot available
Coverage for this vulnerability

See if you're affected

Explore vulnerability checks for your environment with Hinoki.

Book a demo

Summary

What happened

Double-free in libpcap before 1.10.5 allows local users with high privileges to crash applications during remote packet-capture setup. sock_initaddress() can free a getaddrinfo() result on an error without unambiguously transferring ownership, so its caller frees the same allocation again. The path exists only in builds with experimental remote-capture support, which the upstream CMake configuration disables by default; the reported consequence is an availability-only application crash.

The record

CVE
CVE-2023-7256
Published
Aug 30, 2024
Updated
Sep 3, 2024
Vendor
The Tcpdump Group
Product
libpcap
Classifications
CWE-415, T1499
Attack vector
local
Privileges
admin

Timeline

How it unfolded

  1. Aug 30, 2024CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
  2. Sep 3, 2024Record updatedLatest update available in the CVE record.

Exploitability

Present is not the same as exploitable

Compare your product and version with the public record. A matching version still requires validation against your environment.

Is a vulnerable build present?

Compare these published version ranges with your installed build and any vendor patches.

  1. Affected versionversion=1.10.x <=1.10.4
  2. Affected versionversion=1.8.x
  3. Affected versionversion=1.9.x

What conditions does exploitation require?

Attack vectorlocal
Required privilegesadmin

What is affected?

The Tcpdump Group · libpcapversion=1.10.x <=1.10.4; version=1.8.x; version=1.9.x

Published CVSS scores

4.4The Tcpdump GroupCVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H

CVSS describes severity. EPSS estimates exploitation probability.

Attacks

What attackers are doing with it

Daily unique IPs observed by Shadowserver honeypots for known exploited vulnerabilities (KEVs). Missing observations do not establish an absence of attacks.

Daily unique IPsNo honeypot observations are available for this CVE in the selected window.

No observations available

Sep 9, 2026Sep 15, 2026
Latest reporting daySep 15, 2026
Latest daily unique IPsUnavailable
Prior 30-day averageUnavailable
SourceShadowserver honeypots (KEV)
Vectorlocal
Privilegesadmin
Known exploitationUnconfirmed
Public exploitUnconfirmed

Weakness, pattern, technique

CWE-415Double Free
T1499Endpoint Denial of Service

Public exploit references

No public exploit references are available in this record.

Labels summarize the accepted research assessment. They do not indicate a test against your environment.

Technologies

Your stack

See the directory against your own environment.

Your stack

Check the software in your environment

Book a demo to see how Hinoki identifies affected software and validates exploitability in your environment.

Book a demo