CVE-2016-3163: Drupal/core Remote Code Execution Vulnerability

HIGH
Advisory Identifier: GHSA-h3r9-pjmr-f938
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CVSS 7.5
Published
Advisory Summary

CVE-2016-3163 is a HIGH (CVSS 7.5) remote code execution vulnerability (General Security Weakness) affecting Drupal/core libraries in the Packagist ecosystem. The issue involves drupal brute force amplification attacks via xml-rpc. Remediation is available by upgrading affected packages to version 7.43, 6.38.

CVE-2016-3163 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2016-3163
GHSA Identifier GHSA-h3r9-pjmr-f938
Severity HIGH
CVSS v3.1 Base Score 7.5
CWE Classification General Security Weakness
Affected Product Drupal/core
Package Ecosystem Packagist
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:H/A:N).

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 High (I:H)
Availability None (A:N)

How to Fix CVE-2016-3163

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

drupal/core fixed: 7.43 
Upgrade drupal/core to 7.43
drupal/core fixed: 6.38 
Upgrade drupal/core to 6.38
drupal/drupal fixed: 7.43 
Upgrade drupal/drupal to 7.43
drupal/drupal fixed: 6.38 
Upgrade drupal/drupal to 6.38
Verify Direct and Transitive Dependencies

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

inspect dependencies for drupal/core

How to Check if You Are Affected

To determine whether your application is affected by CVE-2016-3163, inspect your project dependencies for Drupal/core:

inspect dependencies for drupal/core

Analyze the terminal output to locate any version of Drupal/core in your dependency tree. If any resolved version matches the vulnerable ranges listed in the table below (for example, versions earlier than 7.43), your application is affected.

Note: Verify declared build manifests and deployed runtime container environments.

Technical Details

Vulnerability Mechanism & Technical Analysis

This vulnerability is classified under General Security Weakness. In Drupal/core, 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 XML-RPC system in Drupal 6.x before 6.38 and 7.x before 7.43 might make it easier for remote attackers to conduct brute-force attacks via a large number of calls made at once to the same method.

CVE-2016-3163 Affected Drupal/core Versions

4 component(s)
Fixed Versions:
7.436.38
Product / Package Ecosystem Affected Versions Fixed Version
drupal/core
 Packagist
≥ 7.0
< 7.43
7.43
drupal/core
 Packagist
≥ 6.0
< 6.38
6.38
drupal/drupal
 Packagist
≥ 7.0
< 7.43
7.43
drupal/drupal
 Packagist
≥ 6.0
< 6.38
6.38

References

NVD — CVE-2016-3163 NVD
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2016-3163
Drupal/core Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/FriendsOfPHP/security-advisories/blob/master/drupal/core/CVE-2016-3163.yaml
Drupal/core Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/FriendsOfPHP/security-advisories/blob/master/drupal/drupal/CVE-2016-3163.yaml
Drupal/core Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/drupal/core
www.drupal.org/sa-core-2016-001 WEB
https://www.drupal.org/SA-CORE-2016-001
Drupal/core Security Information SECURITY
http://www.debian.org/security/2016/dsa-3498
Drupal/core Security Information SECURITY
http://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2016/02/24/19
Drupal/core Security Information SECURITY
http://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2016/03/15/10

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2016-3163?
CVE-2016-3163 is a security vulnerability in Drupal/core involving Drupal Brute force amplification attacks via XML-RPC under General Security Weakness.
Which Drupal/core versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to 7.43, 6.38 across affected packages: drupal/core, drupal/drupal.
What version fixes CVE-2016-3163?
Upgrading to 7.43, 6.38 (or the latest patched release for your respective branch) resolves the vulnerability.
Is drupal/core affected?
Yes, drupal/core is affected in releases prior to 7.43, 6.38. Upgrade your dependency to 7.43, 6.38 or later.
Is drupal/drupal affected?
Yes, drupal/drupal is affected in releases prior to 7.43, 6.38. Upgrade your dependency to 7.43, 6.38 or later.
What is the CVSS score of CVE-2016-3163?
CVE-2016-3163 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:H/A:N.
What CWE is associated with CVE-2016-3163?
CVE-2016-3163 is classified under General Security Weakness.
How can I check Packagist dependencies for CVE-2016-3163?
Run the dependency tree command: 'inspect dependencies for drupal/core'. 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-h3r9-pjmr-f938",
  "modified" : "2024-04-23T22:28:03Z",
  "published" : "2022-05-17T03:56:55Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2016-3163" ],
  "summary" : "Drupal Brute force amplification attacks via XML-RPC",
  "details" : "The XML-RPC system in Drupal 6.x before 6.38 and 7.x before 7.43 might make it easier for remote attackers to conduct brute-force attacks via a large number of calls made at once to the same method.",
  "severity" : [ {
    "type" : "CVSS_V3",
    "score" : "CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:H/A:N"
  } ],
  "affected" : [ {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "Packagist",
      "name" : "drupal/core"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "7.0"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "7.43"
      } ]
    } ]
  }, {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "Packagist",
      "name" : "drupal/core"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "6.0"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "6.38"
      } ]
    } ]
  }, {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "Packagist",
      "name" : "drupal/drupal"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "7.0"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "7.43"
      } ]
    } ]
  }, {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "Packagist",
      "name" : "drupal/drupal"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "6.0"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "6.38"
      } ]
    } ]
  } ],
  "references" : [ {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2016-3163"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/FriendsOfPHP/security-advisories/blob/master/drupal/core/CVE-2016-3163.yaml"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/FriendsOfPHP/security-advisories/blob/master/drupal/drupal/CVE-2016-3163.yaml"
  }, {
    "type" : "PACKAGE",
    "url" : "https://github.com/drupal/core"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://www.drupal.org/SA-CORE-2016-001"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "http://www.debian.org/security/2016/dsa-3498"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "http://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2016/02/24/19"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "http://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2016/03/15/10"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ ],
    "severity" : "HIGH",
    "github_reviewed" : true,
    "github_reviewed_at" : "2024-04-23T22:28:03Z",
    "nvd_published_at" : "2016-04-12T15:59:00Z"
  }
}