A heap-buffer-overflow vulnerability exists in the tcpliveplay utility of the tcpreplay-4
Description
A heap-buffer-overflow vulnerability exists in the tcpliveplay utility of the tcpreplay-4
AI Analyst Comment
Remediation
Apply vendor security updates immediately. Monitor for exploitation attempts and review access logs.
Description Summary:
A heap-buffer-overflow in the tcpliveplay utility of Tcpreplay 4.5.1 allows for a denial of service when processing a crafted pcap file.
Executive Summary:
A heap-buffer-overflow vulnerability in Tcpreplay 4.5.1 could allow an unauthenticated attacker to trigger a denial of service via a malformed pcap file.
Vulnerability Details
CVE-ID: CVE-2025-51005
Affected Software: AppNeta Tcpreplay
Affected Versions: tcpreplay-4.5.1
Vulnerability: The vulnerability exists in the checksum calculation logic within the do_checksum_math_liveplay function of tcpliveplay.c, where improper memory handling occurs when processing crafted pcap files, requiring no authentication to trigger.
Business Impact
The exploitation of this vulnerability results in a denial of service, which can disrupt critical network analysis or traffic replay operations. Given the CVSS score of 7.5, this high-severity flaw poses a significant risk to the availability of infrastructure monitoring tools, potentially blinding security teams to network events during an outage.
Remediation Plan
Immediate Action: Monitor the official AppNeta GitHub repository for the release of a security patch addressing the issue in tcpliveplay.c.
Proactive Monitoring: Review network traffic logs for the processing of suspicious or malformed pcap files that deviate from expected traffic patterns.
Compensating Controls: Restrict access to the tcpliveplay utility by ensuring it only processes traffic files from trusted and verified sources.
Exploitation Status
Public Exploit Available: Yes, a public proof-of-concept exists as documented in the referenced GitHub repository.
Analyst Notes: As of September 24, 2025, there is no confirmed active exploitation in the wild; however, per CISA's SSVC assessment a proof-of-concept exists, so exploitation risk should be treated as credible. The flaw is inherently exploitable by providing a malicious file to the utility.
Analyst Recommendation
Organizations utilizing Tcpreplay 4.5.1 should immediately restrict the input sources for the tcpliveplay utility to prevent the processing of untrusted pcap files. Given the existence of a public proof-of-concept, users must prioritize applying the forthcoming vendor fix to eliminate the risk of service interruption.