Fastnetmon: Heap-based Buffer Overflow
CVE-2026-48690 is a high-severity heap-based buffer overflow vulnerability in Fastnetmon from Pavel-odintsov, with a CVSS 3.1 base score of 7.1 out of 10. It can be exploited with local access to the system by an attacker with a low-privileged account, without any action from a user. Affected Fastnetmon versions: 1.2.9 and earlier. The record does not name a fixed version, so check the vendor advisory. There is no confirmed exploitation so far. EPSS estimates a 0.12% chance of exploitation within 30 days, which is low compared with other CVEs.
High severity with no evidence of exploitation so far.
What to do
- Check which version of Fastnetmon you run against the affected versions below, and install the vendor's latest release.
Affected products and versions
| Vendor | Product | Affected versions | Fixed in |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pavel-odintsov | Fastnetmon | 1.2.9 and earlier | Not stated |
Version data comes from NVD's product matching. Confirm against the vendor advisory before deciding you are unaffected.
How the severity score breaks down
- Attack vector
- LocalThe attacker needs local access or must trick a user into running something.
- Attack complexity
- LowNo special conditions are needed; the attack works reliably.
- Privileges required
- LowA basic user account is enough.
- User interaction
- NoneNo action by a victim is required.
- Scope
- UnchangedImpact stays within the vulnerable component.
- Confidentiality
- HighAll data handled by the component can be read.
- Integrity
- HighData or code can be modified at will.
- Availability
- NoneAvailability is not affected.
Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:N. Scored by NVD.
| Scoring system | Score | Severity | Scored by |
|---|---|---|---|
| CVSS 3.1 | 7.1 | High | NVD |
| CVSS 3.1 | 7.1 | High | CISA (ADP) |
Official description
FastNetMon Community Edition through 1.2.9 contains an integer overflow vulnerability in the packet capture buffer allocation. In src/packet_storage.hpp, the allocate_buffer() function computes memory_size_in_bytes as 'buffer_size_in_packets * (max_captured_packet_size + sizeof(fastnetmon_pcap_pkthdr_t)) + sizeof(fastnetmon_pcap_file_header_t)' using unsigned int (32-bit) arithmetic. With max_captured_packet_size=1500 and sizeof(fastnetmon_pcap_pkthdr_t)=16, each packet requires approximately 1516 bytes. If buffer_size_in_packets exceeds approximately 2,832,542, the multiplication overflows, resulting in a much smaller allocation than expected. Subsequent write_packet() calls then write past the allocated buffer, causing heap corruption. The buffer_size_in_packets value is derived from the ban_details_records_count configuration parameter, which is parsed using atoi() with no overflow checking.
Source: the CVE record as published by its numbering authority, via NVD and CVE.org.
The underlying weakness: Heap-based Buffer Overflow
The product writes past the end of a buffer that was allocated on the heap.
How developers prevent this class of flaw
- Pre-design: Use a language or compiler that performs automatic bounds checking.
- Use an abstraction library to abstract away risky APIs. Not a complete solution.
- Use automatic buffer overflow detection mechanisms that are offered by certain compilers or compiler extensions. Examples include: the Microsoft Visual Studio /GS flag, Fedora/Red Hat FORTIFY_SOURCE GCC flag, StackGuard, and ProPolice, which provide various mechanisms including canary-based detection and range/index checking. D3-SFCV (Stack Frame Canary Validation) from D3FEND discusses canary-based detection in detail.
Timeline
- CVE record published.
- CISA published its SSVC assessment (exploitation: none, automatable: no, technical impact: total).
- Record last changed materially (score, affected products, status or references).
References
Third-party and government advisories
Other references
Other vulnerabilities in Fastnetmon
- 7.5 High severity
- 8.2 High severity
- 7.5 High severity
- 8.2 High severity
- 8.2 High severity
- 9.8 Critical severity
Recent Heap-based Buffer Overflow vulnerabilities
- 7.3 High severity
- 8.0 High severity
- 8.8 High severity
- 8.1 High severity
- 7.8 High severity
- 8.1 High severity
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