diff -urk.orig tcpdump-3.8.2.orig/configure.in tcpdump-3.8.2/configure.in
--- tcpdump-3.8.2.orig/configure.in	2004-03-23 21:57:33 +0300
+++ tcpdump-3.8.2/configure.in	2004-03-30 03:20:45 +0400
@@ -104,18 +104,18 @@
 	;;
 esac
 
-AC_ARG_WITH(user, [  --with-user=USERNAME    drop privileges by default to USERNAME])
+AC_ARG_WITH(user, [  --with-user=USERNAME    drop privileges by default to USERNAME], , withval=tcpdump)
 AC_MSG_CHECKING([whether to drop root privileges by default])
-if test ! -z "$with_user" ; then
+if test ! -z "$withval" ; then
         AC_DEFINE_UNQUOTED(WITH_USER, "$withval")
        AC_MSG_RESULT(to \"$withval\")
 else
        AC_MSG_RESULT(no)
 fi
 
-AC_ARG_WITH(chroot, [  --with-chroot=DIRECTORY when dropping privileges, chroot to DIRECTORY])
+AC_ARG_WITH(chroot, [  --with-chroot=DIRECTORY when dropping privileges, chroot to DIRECTORY], , withval=/var/resolv)
 AC_MSG_CHECKING([whether to chroot])
-if test ! -z "$with_chroot" ; then
+if test ! -z "$withval" ; then
         AC_DEFINE_UNQUOTED(WITH_CHROOT, "$withval")
        AC_MSG_RESULT(to \"$withval\")
 else
diff -urk.orig tcpdump-3.8.2.orig/tcpdump.c tcpdump-3.8.2/tcpdump.c
--- tcpdump-3.8.2.orig/tcpdump.c	2004-03-23 21:57:33 +0300
+++ tcpdump-3.8.2/tcpdump.c	2004-03-30 03:19:49 +0400
@@ -46,6 +46,7 @@
 #endif
 
 #include <tcpdump-stdinc.h>
+#include <errno.h>
 
 #ifdef WIN32
 #include "getopt.h"
@@ -344,32 +345,34 @@
 static void
 droproot(const char *username, const char *chroot_dir)
 {
-	struct passwd *pw = NULL;
+	struct passwd *pw;
 
 	if (chroot_dir && !username) {
 		fprintf(stderr, "Chroot without dropping root is insecure\n");
 		exit(1);
 	}
-	
-	pw = getpwnam(username);
-	if (pw) {
-		if (chroot_dir) {
-			if (chroot(chroot_dir) != 0 || chdir ("/") != 0) {
-				fprintf(stderr, "Couldn't chroot/chdir to '%.64s'\n", chroot_dir);
-				exit(1);
-			}
-		}
-		if (initgroups(pw->pw_name, pw->pw_gid) != 0 || setgid(pw->pw_gid) != 0 ||
-				 setuid(pw->pw_uid) != 0) {
-			fprintf(stderr, "Couldn't change to '%.32s' uid=%d gid=%d\n", username, 
-							pw->pw_uid, pw->pw_gid);
-			exit(1);
-		}
-	}
-	else {
-		fprintf(stderr, "Couldn't find user '%.32s'\n", username);
-		exit(1);
-	}
+
+	if ((setgroups (0, NULL) < 0))
+		error ("setgroups: %s", strerror (errno));
+
+	pw = getpwnam (username);
+	if (!pw)
+		error ("lookup of user \"%s\" failed", username);
+
+	endpwent ();
+
+	if (!pw->pw_uid)
+		error ("user \"%s\" shouldn't be root", username);
+
+	if (chroot (chroot_dir) < 0 || chdir ("/") < 0)
+		error ("chroot/chdir to \"%s\" failed: %s",
+		       chroot_dir, strerror (errno));
+
+	if (setgid (pw->pw_gid) < 0)
+		error ("setgid: %s", strerror (errno));
+
+	if (setuid (pw->pw_uid) < 0)
+		error ("setuid: %s", strerror (errno));
 }
 #endif /* WIN32 */