CVE-2016-7456

VMware vSphere Data Protection (VDP) 5.5.x though 6.1.x has an SSH private key with a publicly known password, which makes it easier for remote attackers to obtain login access via an SSH session.

Published: 2016-12-29 Last update: 2026-05-06 Assigner: [email protected] Source: [email protected]
NVD Status：Modified，CVE State: published
View at NVD, CVE.org, EUVD

CVE-2016-7456 is rated High Risk (75.1/100): CVSS Critical severity, with high exploitation likelihood (EPSS 82.12%, 99th percentile). EPSS ranks this CVE among the most likely to be exploited in the near term. EPSS rose +1.16% over the last day, indicating growing attacker interest. High exploitation likelihood—assess exposure and prioritize 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-2016-7456

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 2025-03-30 80.96% 82.12% +1.16%
2 2025-03-29 82.12% 80.96% -1.16%
3 2025-03-17 — 82.12% —

Full EPSS history (8 records total)

Common vulnerability scoring system (CVSS) metrics for CVE-2016-7456

CVSS metrics for this CVE.

Base score Version Severity Vector Exploitability Impact Score source
9.8 3.0 CRITICAL
CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/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:H)
Serious risk that confidential data gets exposed in a big way.
Integrity (I:H)
They could widely tamper with or forge data—trust in the data is badly hurt.
Availability (A:H)
Could take the service down hard or make it unusable for people who depend on it.
 3.9 5.9 [email protected]
10.0 2.0 HIGH
AV:N/AC:L/Au:N/C:C/I:C/A:C 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:C)
Complete confidentiality impact.
Integrity impact (I:C)
Complete integrity impact.
Availability impact (A:C)
Complete availability impact.
 10.0 10.0 [email protected]

Weakness enumeration for CVE-2016-7456

Affected software / configurations for CVE-2016-7456

Vendor Product Version Raw CPE
vmware vsphere_data_protection 5.5.1 cpe:2.3:a:vmware:vsphere_data_protection:5.5.1:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
vmware vsphere_data_protection 5.5.5 cpe:2.3:a:vmware:vsphere_data_protection:5.5.5:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
vmware vsphere_data_protection 5.5.6 cpe:2.3:a:vmware:vsphere_data_protection:5.5.6:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
vmware vsphere_data_protection 5.5.7 cpe:2.3:a:vmware:vsphere_data_protection:5.5.7:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
vmware vsphere_data_protection 5.5.8 cpe:2.3:a:vmware:vsphere_data_protection:5.5.8:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
vmware vsphere_data_protection 5.5.9 cpe:2.3:a:vmware:vsphere_data_protection:5.5.9:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
vmware vsphere_data_protection 5.5.10 cpe:2.3:a:vmware:vsphere_data_protection:5.5.10:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
vmware vsphere_data_protection 5.5.11 cpe:2.3:a:vmware:vsphere_data_protection:5.5.11:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
vmware vsphere_data_protection 5.8.0 cpe:2.3:a:vmware:vsphere_data_protection:5.8.0:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
vmware vsphere_data_protection 5.8.1 cpe:2.3:a:vmware:vsphere_data_protection:5.8.1:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
vmware vsphere_data_protection 5.8.2 cpe:2.3:a:vmware:vsphere_data_protection:5.8.2:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
vmware vsphere_data_protection 5.8.3 cpe:2.3:a:vmware:vsphere_data_protection:5.8.3:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
vmware vsphere_data_protection 5.8.4 cpe:2.3:a:vmware:vsphere_data_protection:5.8.4:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
vmware vsphere_data_protection 6.0.0 cpe:2.3:a:vmware:vsphere_data_protection:6.0.0:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
vmware vsphere_data_protection 6.0.1 cpe:2.3:a:vmware:vsphere_data_protection:6.0.1:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
vmware vsphere_data_protection 6.0.2 cpe:2.3:a:vmware:vsphere_data_protection:6.0.2:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
vmware vsphere_data_protection 6.0.3 cpe:2.3:a:vmware:vsphere_data_protection:6.0.3:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
vmware vsphere_data_protection 6.0.4 cpe:2.3:a:vmware:vsphere_data_protection:6.0.4:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
vmware vsphere_data_protection 6.1.0 cpe:2.3:a:vmware:vsphere_data_protection:6.1.0:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
vmware vsphere_data_protection 6.1.1 cpe:2.3:a:vmware:vsphere_data_protection:6.1.1:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
vmware vsphere_data_protection 6.1.2 cpe:2.3:a:vmware:vsphere_data_protection:6.1.2:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
vmware vsphere_data_protection 6.1.3 cpe:2.3:a:vmware:vsphere_data_protection:6.1.3:*:*:*:*:*:*:*

References for CVE-2016-7456

cvelogic Threat Intelligence