CVE-2016-10161: Software Security Vulnerability Vulnerability

HIGH
Advisory Identifier: GHSA-q9xq-6ph4-999c
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CVSS 7.5
CWE-125
Published
Advisory Summary

CVE-2016-10161 is a HIGH (CVSS 7.5) security vulnerability vulnerability (CWE-125: Out-of-bounds Read) affecting Software libraries in the Maven ecosystem. The weakness occurs when the product reads data past the end, or before the beginning, of the intended buffer.. Remediation is available in the latest vendor maintenance releases.

CVE-2016-10161 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2016-10161
GHSA Identifier GHSA-q9xq-6ph4-999c
Severity HIGH
CVSS v3.1 Base Score 7.5
CWE Classification CWE-125: Out-of-bounds Read
Affected Product Software
Package Ecosystem Maven
Published Date
Last Updated

Security Impact

CVSS: 7.5

The security impact metrics below are parsed directly from the CVSS v3.1 vector string (CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H).

Attack Vector Network (AV:N)
Attack Complexity Low (AC:L)
Privileges Required None (PR:N)
User Interaction None (UI:N)
Scope Unchanged (S:U)
Confidentiality None (C:N)
Integrity None (I:N)
Availability High (A:H)

How to Fix CVE-2016-10161

To remediate this vulnerability, upgrade all affected Software dependencies to a patched release. Both direct and transitive dependencies should be checked, as frameworks or security libraries may pull in vulnerable versions transitively.

Verify Direct and Transitive Dependencies

Run the following command in your project directory to verify that all resolved dependencies use the patched release: 

mvn dependency:tree

How to Check if You Are Affected

To determine whether your Java application is affected by CVE-2016-10161, inspect your build dependencies using the Maven Dependency Plugin:

mvn dependency:tree

Analyze the terminal output to locate any version of Software in your dependency tree. If any resolved version matches the vulnerable ranges listed in the table below (for example, versions earlier than the patched release), your application is affected.

Note: The mvn dependency:tree command inspects the resolved dependency graph declared in your project's POM files; it does not perform automated security scanning or inspect runtime dynamic classpaths. Always verify runtime container classpaths and shaded JARs.

Technical Details

Vulnerability Mechanism & Technical Analysis

This vulnerability is classified under CWE-125: Out-of-bounds Read, where the product reads data past the end, or before the beginning, of the intended buffer. In Software, software state validation or input boundaries are circumvented during processing. Review the official source advisory statement below for specific affected components, classes, and reproduction details.

Source Advisory Statement

The object_common1 function in ext/standard/var_unserializer.c in PHP before 5.6.30, 7.0.x before 7.0.15, and 7.1.x before 7.1.1 allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (buffer over-read and application crash) via crafted serialized data that is mishandled in a finish_nested_data call.

References

NVD — CVE-2016-10161 NVD
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2016-10161
Security Fix Commit FIX COMMIT
https://github.com/php/php-src/commit/16b3003ffc6393e250f069aa28a78dc5a2c064b2
access.redhat.com/errata/rhsa-2018:12... WEB
https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2018:1296
bugs.php.net/bug.php WEB
https://bugs.php.net/bug.php?id=73825
Software Security Information SECURITY
https://security.gentoo.org/glsa/201702-29
Software Security Information SECURITY
https://security.netapp.com/advisory/ntap-20180112-0001
Software Security Information SECURITY
https://www.tenable.com/security/tns-2017-04
php.net/changelog-5.php WEB
http://php.net/ChangeLog-5.php
php.net/changelog-7.php WEB
http://php.net/ChangeLog-7.php
Software Security Information SECURITY
http://www.debian.org/security/2017/dsa-3783
Software Security Information SECURITY
http://www.securityfocus.com/bid/95768
Software Security Information SECURITY
http://www.securitytracker.com/id/1037659

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2016-10161?
CVE-2016-10161 is a security vulnerability in Software classified as a security vulnerability vulnerability under CWE-125: Out-of-bounds Read.
Which Software versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to current release patches.
What version fixes CVE-2016-10161?
Upgrading to current release patches (or the latest patched release for your respective branch) resolves the vulnerability.
What is the CVSS score of CVE-2016-10161?
CVE-2016-10161 has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 7.5 (HIGH) with vector string CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H.
What CWE is associated with CVE-2016-10161?
CVE-2016-10161 is classified under CWE-125: Out-of-bounds Read (The product reads data past the end, or before the beginning, of the intended buffer.).
How can I check Maven dependencies for CVE-2016-10161?
Run the dependency tree command: 'mvn dependency:tree'. This command lists direct and transitive dependencies in your build configuration so you can verify if a vulnerable version is resolved.
Machine-readable OSV JSON OSV v1.5 Schema
Normalized schema output
View Raw JSON 
{
  "schema_version" : "1.4.0",
  "id" : "GHSA-q9xq-6ph4-999c",
  "modified" : "2025-04-20T03:31:31Z",
  "published" : "2022-05-14T03:27:45Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2016-10161" ],
  "details" : "The object_common1 function in ext/standard/var_unserializer.c in PHP before 5.6.30, 7.0.x before 7.0.15, and 7.1.x before 7.1.1 allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (buffer over-read and application crash) via crafted serialized data that is mishandled in a finish_nested_data call.",
  "severity" : [ {
    "type" : "CVSS_V3",
    "score" : "CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H"
  } ],
  "affected" : [ ],
  "references" : [ {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2016-10161"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/php/php-src/commit/16b3003ffc6393e250f069aa28a78dc5a2c064b2"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2018:1296"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://bugs.php.net/bug.php?id=73825"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://security.gentoo.org/glsa/201702-29"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://security.netapp.com/advisory/ntap-20180112-0001"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://www.tenable.com/security/tns-2017-04"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "http://php.net/ChangeLog-5.php"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "http://php.net/ChangeLog-7.php"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "http://www.debian.org/security/2017/dsa-3783"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "http://www.securityfocus.com/bid/95768"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "http://www.securitytracker.com/id/1037659"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-125" ],
    "severity" : "HIGH",
    "github_reviewed" : false,
    "github_reviewed_at" : null,
    "nvd_published_at" : "2017-01-24T21:59:00Z"
  }
}