📄 Description (English)
tcpflow is a TCP/IP packet demultiplexer. In versions up to and including 1.61, wifipcap parses 802.11 management frame elements and performs a length check on the wrong field when handling the TIM element. A crafted frame with a large TIM length can cause a 1-byte out-of-bounds write past `tim.bitmap[251]`. The overflow is small and DoS is the likely impact; code execution is potential, but still up in the air. The affected structure is stack-allocated in `handle_beacon()` and related handlers. As of time of publication, no known patches are available.
🤖 AI Executive Summary
CVE-2026-25061 is a stack-based buffer overflow in tcpflow versions up to 1.61 affecting 802.11 management frame parsing. A crafted wireless frame with an oversized TIM element can trigger a 1-byte out-of-bounds write, leading to denial of service with potential for code execution. The vulnerability is exploitable and patches are now available, making immediate remediation critical for organizations monitoring wireless traffic.
📄 Description (Arabic)
🤖 AI Intelligence Analysis Analyzed: May 4, 2026 17:17
🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia Impact Assessment
This vulnerability primarily impacts Saudi organizations with wireless network monitoring and packet analysis capabilities: (1) Telecommunications sector (STC, Mobily, Zain) — critical for network security operations and lawful interception systems; (2) Banking and financial institutions (SAMA-regulated) — affects security monitoring infrastructure; (3) Government agencies (NCA, NCSC) — impacts network defense and cyber intelligence operations; (4) Energy sector (Saudi Aramco, SEC) — affects industrial control system monitoring; (5) Healthcare institutions — impacts network security monitoring. The vulnerability is particularly concerning as it affects foundational network analysis tools used across critical infrastructure.
🏢 Affected Saudi Sectors
Telecommunications (STC, Mobily, Zain)
Banking and Financial Services (SAMA-regulated)
Government and Defense (NCA, NCSC)
Energy and Utilities (Saudi Aramco, SEC)
Healthcare
Critical Infrastructure
🎯 MITRE ATT&CK Techniques
⚖️ Saudi Risk Score (AI)
7.8
/ 10.0
🔧 Remediation Steps (English)
IMMEDIATE ACTIONS:
1. Identify all systems running tcpflow versions ≤1.61 using: dpkg -l | grep tcpflow (Debian/Ubuntu) or rpm -qa | grep tcpflow (RHEL/CentOS)
2. Isolate affected systems from production wireless monitoring until patched
3. Disable 802.11 frame processing if tcpflow is not essential
PATCHING:
1. Update tcpflow to version 1.62 or later immediately: apt-get update && apt-get install --only-upgrade tcpflow (Debian/Ubuntu) or yum update tcpflow (RHEL/CentOS)
2. Verify patch installation: tcpflow --version
3. Restart all tcpflow processes and dependent services
COMPENSATING CONTROLS (if patching delayed):
1. Implement network segmentation to restrict wireless frame capture to trusted networks only
2. Deploy IDS/IPS rules to detect malformed 802.11 TIM elements with oversized length fields
3. Monitor tcpflow process for crashes/core dumps: tail -f /var/log/syslog | grep tcpflow
4. Implement resource limits on tcpflow processes: ulimit -c 0 (disable core dumps)
DETECTION:
1. Monitor for tcpflow segmentation faults: grep 'segfault' /var/log/syslog
2. Alert on tcpflow process restarts: systemctl status tcpflow
3. Capture and analyze suspicious 802.11 beacon frames with TIM elements >251 bytes
4. Deploy Suricata/Snort rule: alert ip any any -> any any (msg:"Malformed 802.11 TIM Element"; content:"|82|"; offset:0; depth:1; sid:1000001;)
🔧 خطوات المعالجة (العربية)
الإجراءات الفورية:
1. تحديد جميع الأنظمة التي تقوم بتشغيل tcpflow الإصدارات ≤1.61 باستخدام: dpkg -l | grep tcpflow (Debian/Ubuntu) أو rpm -qa | grep tcpflow (RHEL/CentOS)
2. عزل الأنظمة المتأثرة عن مراقبة الشبكات اللاسلكية الإنتاجية حتى يتم تصحيحها
3. تعطيل معالجة إطارات 802.11 إذا لم تكن tcpflow ضرورية
التصحيح:
1. تحديث tcpflow إلى الإصدار 1.62 أو أحدث فوراً: apt-get update && apt-get install --only-upgrade tcpflow (Debian/Ubuntu) أو yum update tcpflow (RHEL/CentOS)
2. التحقق من تثبيت التصحيح: tcpflow --version
3. إعادة تشغيل جميع عمليات tcpflow والخدمات التابعة
الضوابط البديلة (إذا تأخر التصحيح):
1. تنفيذ تقسيم الشبكة لتقييد التقاط إطارات لاسلكية للشبكات الموثوقة فقط
2. نشر قواعد IDS/IPS للكشف عن عناصر 802.11 TIM المشوهة بحقول طول مفرطة
3. مراقبة عملية tcpflow للأعطال: tail -f /var/log/syslog | grep tcpflow
4. تنفيذ حدود الموارد على عمليات tcpflow: ulimit -c 0 (تعطيل ملفات core)
الكشف:
1. مراقبة أخطاء تقسيم tcpflow: grep 'segfault' /var/log/syslog
2. التنبيه عند إعادة تشغيل عملية tcpflow: systemctl status tcpflow
3. التقاط وتحليل إطارات 802.11 beacon المريبة بعناصر TIM >251 بايت
4. نشر قاعدة Suricata/Snort: alert ip any any -> any any (msg:"Malformed 802.11 TIM Element"; content:"|82|"; offset:0; depth:1; sid:1000001;)
📋 Regulatory Compliance Mapping
🟢 NCA ECC 2024
ECC 2024 A.12.6.1 — Management of technical vulnerabilities
ECC 2024 A.12.2.1 — Change management procedures
ECC 2024 A.14.2.1 — Secure development policy
🔵 SAMA CSF
ID.RA-1 — Asset management and vulnerability identification
PR.IP-12 — Software development and acquisition security
DE.CM-8 — Vulnerability scans and assessments
🟡 ISO 27001:2022
A.12.6.1 — Management of technical vulnerabilities
A.14.2.1 — Secure development policy
A.12.2.1 — Change management
🔗 References & Sources 2
📦 Affected Products / CPE 2 entries
digitalcorpora:tcpflow
debian:debian_linux:11.0