CVE-2017-6657
Cisco Sourcefire Snort 3.0 before build 233 mishandles Ether Type Validation. Since valid ether...
Cisco Sourcefire Snort 3.0 before build 233 mishandles Ether Type Validation. Since valid ether type and IP protocol numbers do not overlap, Snort++ stores all protocol decoders in a single array. That makes it possible to craft packets that have IP protocol numbers in the ether type field which will confuse the Snort++ decoder. For example, an eth:llc:snap:icmp6 packet will cause a crash because there is no ip6 header with which to calculate the icmp6 checksum. Affected decoders include gre, llc, trans_bridge, ciscometadata, linux_sll, and token_ring. The fix adds a check in the packet manager to validate the ether type before indexing the decoder array. An out of range ether type will raise 116:473.
Attack profile
How easy it is to exploit
- Attack vector
- Network
- Complexity
- Low
- Privileges needed
- None
- User interaction
- None
What an attacker can affect
- Confidentiality
- None
- Integrity
- None
- Availability
- High
Exploit likelihood
What each source reports
NVD Score used
7.5
Cisco Sourcefire Snort 3.0 before build 233 mishandles Ether Type Validation. Since valid ether type and IP protocol numbers do not overlap, Snort++ stores all protocol decoders in a single array. That makes it possible to craft packets that have IP protocol numbers in the ether type field which will confuse the Snort++ decoder. For example, an eth:llc:snap:icmp6 packet will cause a crash because there is no ip6 header with which to calculate the icmp6 checksum. Affected decoders include gre, llc, trans_bridge, ciscometadata, linux_sll, and token_ring. The fix adds a check in the packet manager to validate the ether type before indexing the decoder array. An out of range ether type will raise 116:473.
- Record
CVE-2017-6657- CVSS 3.0
- 7.5 High
CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H - CVSS 2.0
- 5.0 Medium
AV:N/AC:L/Au:N/C:N/I:N/A:P - Updated
- 2026-11-02
CVE List No score
Cisco Sourcefire Snort 3.0 before build 233 mishandles Ether Type Validation. Since valid ether type and IP protocol numbers do not overlap, Snort++ stores all protocol decoders in a single array. That makes it possible to craft packets that have IP protocol numbers in the ether type field which will confuse the Snort++ decoder. For example, an eth:llc:snap:icmp6 packet will cause a crash because there is no ip6 header with which to calculate the icmp6 checksum. Affected decoders include gre, llc, trans_bridge, ciscometadata, linux_sll, and token_ring. The fix adds a check in the packet manager to validate the ether type before indexing the decoder array. An out of range ether type will raise 116:473.
- Record
CVE-2017-6657- Updated
- 2026-11-02
EUVDEUVD-2017-15711 No score
Cisco Sourcefire Snort 3.0 before build 233 mishandles Ether Type Validation. Since valid ether type and IP protocol numbers do not overlap, Snort++ stores all protocol decoders in a single array. That makes it possible to craft packets that have IP protocol numbers in the ether type field which will confuse the Snort++ decoder. For example, an eth:llc:snap:icmp6 packet will cause a crash because there is no ip6 header with which to calculate the icmp6 checksum. Affected decoders include gre, llc, trans_bridge, ciscometadata, linux_sll, and token_ring. The fix adds a check in the packet manager to validate the ether type before indexing the decoder array. An out of range ether type will raise 116:473.
- Record
EUVD-2017-15711- Updated
- 2026-11-03
GitHub AdvisoriesGHSA-h9jm-vc47-2v23
7.5
Cisco Sourcefire Snort 3.0 before build 233 mishandles Ether Type Validation. Since valid ether...
Cisco Sourcefire Snort 3.0 before build 233 mishandles Ether Type Validation. Since valid ether type and IP protocol numbers do not overlap, Snort++ stores all protocol decoders in a single array. That makes it possible to craft packets that have IP protocol numbers in the ether type field which will confuse the Snort++ decoder. For example, an eth:llc:snap:icmp6 packet will cause a crash because there is no ip6 header with which to calculate the icmp6 checksum. Affected decoders include gre, llc, trans_bridge, ciscometadata, linux_sll, and token_ring. The fix adds a check in the packet manager to validate the ether type before indexing the decoder array. An out of range ether type will raise 116:473.
- Record
GHSA-h9jm-vc47-2v23- CVSS 3.0
- 7.5 High
CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H - Updated
- 2026-11-02
Affected products
History
| Recorded | Changed | Sources |
|---|---|---|
| aliases | EUVD | |
| first indexed | CVE List, GitHub Advisories, NVD |
Dates are when Every CVE recorded each change. Upstream dates may differ.
In short
CVE-2017-6657 is a high vulnerability (CVSS 7.5) in Cisco Snort\+\+, published May 16, 2017. No source lists public exploit code. EPSS puts the chance of exploitation in the next 30 days at 1.06%, the 64th percentile. No source names a fixed version.