CVE-2016-2369

A NULL pointer dereference vulnerability exists in the handling of the MXIT protocol in Pidgin. Specially crafted MXIT data sent via the server could potentially result in a denial of service vulnerability. A malicious server can send a packet starting with a NULL byte triggering the vulnerability.

Published: 2017-01-06 Last update: 2026-06-16 Assigner: [email protected] Source: [email protected]
NVD Status：Modified，CVE State: published
View at NVD, CVE.org, EUVD

CVE-2016-2369 is rated Moderate Risk (50.8/100): CVSS Medium severity, with medium exploitation likelihood (EPSS 2.23%). 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-2016-2369

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 2026-06-15 3.14% 2.23% -0.90%
2 2026-05-13 3.25% 3.14% -0.12%
3 2025-12-28 — 3.25% —

Full EPSS history (13 records total)

Common vulnerability scoring system (CVSS) metrics for CVE-2016-2369

CVSS metrics for this CVE.

Base score Version Severity Vector Exploitability Impact Score source
5.9 3.0 MEDIUM
CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:H/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:H)
Even with access, the exploit needs extra luck, timing, or a fussy environment to actually work.
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.
 2.2 3.6 [email protected]
4.3 2.0 MEDIUM
AV:N/AC:M/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:M)
Exploitation needs some favorable conditions, but not exceptional ones.
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.
 8.6 2.9 [email protected]

Weakness enumeration for CVE-2016-2369

OS Trackers for CVE-2016-2369

vendor priority summary link
debian not yet assigned CVE-2016-2369 not yet assigned priority: Debian including 1 source packages (pidgin), 5 status rows across 5 suites (bookworm, bullseye, forky, sid, trixie): resolved 5. https://security-tracker.debian.org/tracker/CVE-2016-2369
gentoo normal CVE-2016-2369: 1 GLSA(s) (201701-38), 1 atom(s) (net-im/pidgin); latest impact normal. https://bugs.gentoo.org/buglist.cgi?quicksearch=CVE-2016-2369
redhat low — https://access.redhat.com/security/cve/CVE-2016-2369
suse medium — https://www.suse.com/security/cve/CVE-2016-2369/
ubuntu low CVE-2016-2369 low priority: Ubuntu including 1 source packages (pidgin), 5 status rows across 5 suites (precise, trusty, upstream, wily, xenial): released 5. https://ubuntu.com/security/CVE-2016-2369

Affected software / configurations for CVE-2016-2369

Vendor Product Version Raw CPE
pidgin pidgin <= 2.10.12 cpe:2.3:a:pidgin:pidgin:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
canonical ubuntu_linux 12.04 cpe:2.3:o:canonical:ubuntu_linux:12.04:*:*:*:lts:*:*:*
canonical ubuntu_linux 14.04 cpe:2.3:o:canonical:ubuntu_linux:14.04:*:*:*:lts:*:*:*
canonical ubuntu_linux 15.10 cpe:2.3:o:canonical:ubuntu_linux:15.10:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
debian debian_linux 8.0 cpe:2.3:o:debian:debian_linux:8.0:*:*:*:*:*:*:*

References for CVE-2016-2369

cvelogic Threat Intelligence