CVE-2016-2224

The __decode_dotted function in libc/inet/resolv.c in uClibc-ng before 1.0.12 allows remote DNS servers to cause a denial of service (infinite loop) via vectors involving compressed items in a reply.

Published: 2017-03-24 Last update: 2026-05-13 Assigner: [email protected] Source: [email protected]
NVD Status：Modified，CVE State: published
View at NVD, CVE.org, EUVD

CVE-2016-2224 is rated Moderate Risk (56.4/100): CVSS High severity, with medium exploitation likelihood (EPSS 0.94%). Review affected assets and schedule remediation.

Risk is dynamic; we continuously reassess and refresh what is shown on this page as upstream context changes.

Exploit prediction scoring system (EPSS) score for CVE-2016-2224

EPSS lead: Daily EPSS estimates relative likelihood of exploitation; percentile ranks this CVE among scored vulnerabilities (higher = more severe relative rank).

# Date Old EPSS score New EPSS score Delta (New - Old)
1 2026-03-04 1.16% 0.94% -0.21%
2 2026-03-01 0.94% 1.16% +0.21%
3 2026-02-04 — 0.94% —

Full EPSS history (37 records total)

Common vulnerability scoring system (CVSS) metrics for CVE-2016-2224

CVSS metrics for this CVE.

Base score Version Severity Vector Exploitability Impact Score source
7.5 3.0 HIGH
CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H Click to expand
Attack vector (AV:N)
Could be attacked over the internet or any normal routed network—not just someone sitting at the machine.
Attack complexity (AC:L)
Once they can reach the bug, pulling it off is straightforward—no weird race conditions or rare setup.
Privileges required (PR:N)
No account or special rights needed—anonymous or random user is enough.
User interaction (UI:N)
Nobody has to click “OK” or open a trap file; it can work without a victim helping.
Scope (S:U)
Damage stays in the same “trust bubble” as the broken component—no big spill into unrelated systems.
Confidentiality (C:N)
Doesn’t really leak secrets in a meaningful way.
Integrity (I:N)
Data isn’t meaningfully altered or forged.
Availability (A:H)
Could take the service down hard or make it unusable for people who depend on it.
 3.9 3.6 [email protected]
5.0 2.0 MEDIUM
AV:N/AC:L/Au:N/C:N/I:N/A:P Click to expand
Access vector (AV:N)
Can be exploited remotely over network reachability.
Access complexity (AC:L)
Exploitation conditions are straightforward and predictable.
Authentication (AU:N)
No authentication is required.
Confidentiality impact (C:N)
No confidentiality impact.
Integrity impact (I:N)
No integrity impact.
Availability impact (A:P)
Partial availability impact.
 10.0 2.9 [email protected]

Weakness enumeration for CVE-2016-2224

OS Trackers for CVE-2016-2224

vendor priority summary link
debian unimportant CVE-2016-2224 unimportant priority: Debian including 1 source packages (uclibc), 5 status rows across 5 suites (bookworm, bullseye, forky, sid, trixie): resolved 5. https://security-tracker.debian.org/tracker/CVE-2016-2224

Affected software / configurations for CVE-2016-2224

Vendor Product Version Raw CPE
uclibc-ng_project uclibc-ng <= 1.0.11 cpe:2.3:a:uclibc-ng_project:uclibc-ng:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*

References for CVE-2016-2224

URL Tags
http://repo.or.cz/uclibc-ng.git/commit/d9c3a16dcab57d6b56225b9a67e9119cc9e2e4ac Issue Tracking Patch Third Party Advisory
http://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2016/02/05/2 Mailing List Patch Third Party Advisory
http://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2016/02/05/3 Mailing List Patch Third Party Advisory
http://www.securityfocus.com/bid/82903 Third Party Advisory VDB Entry
https://security-tracker.debian.org/tracker/CVE-2016-2224 Issue Tracking Patch Third Party Advisory
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