How severe is CVE-2015-8983?

CVE-2015-8983 has a CVSS 3.x base score of 8.1, rated high severity. It is exploitable over network with high attack complexity, requires no privileges and no user interaction. Impact on confidentiality is high, integrity high, and availability high.

Is CVE-2015-8983 being actively exploited?

It is not currently listed in CISA's KEV catalog. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score is 4% (89th percentile), an estimate of the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.

What products are affected by CVE-2015-8983?

CVE-2015-8983 affects Gnu Glibc. See the affected-products list for the exact vulnerable versions.

How do I fix CVE-2015-8983?

Review the linked vendor and NVD advisories for patched versions and mitigations, then upgrade or apply the recommended workaround. Given its high severity, prioritise patching exposed systems.

When was CVE-2015-8983 published?

CVE-2015-8983 was published on 2017-03-20 and last updated on 2026-06-17.

CVE-2015-8983

CVE-2015-8983 is a high-severity vulnerability in Gnu Glibc with a CVSS 3.x base score of 8.1. It is not currently listed as actively exploited by CISA, and its EPSS exploit-prediction score is low. The underlying weakness is classified as CWE-190.

Key facts

Severity: High (CVSS 3.x base score 8.1)
CVSS v2: 6.8
EPSS exploit prediction: 4% (89th percentile)
Actively exploited: Not listed in CISA KEV
Weakness: CWE-190
Affected product: Gnu Glibc
Published: 2017-03-20
Last modified: 2026-06-17

Description

Integer overflow in the _IO_wstr_overflow function in libio/wstrops.c in the GNU C Library (aka glibc or libc6) before 2.22 allows context-dependent attackers to cause a denial of service (application crash) or possibly execute arbitrary code via vectors related to computing a size in bytes, which triggers a heap-based buffer overflow.

Frequently asked questions

What is CVE-2015-8983?: Integer overflow in the _IO_wstr_overflow function in libio/wstrops.c in the GNU C Library (aka glibc or libc6) before 2.22 allows context-dependent attackers to cause a denial of service (application crash) or possibly execute arbitrary code via vectors related to computing a size in bytes, which triggers a heap-based buffer overflow.
How severe is CVE-2015-8983?: CVE-2015-8983 has a CVSS 3.x base score of 8.1, rated high severity. It is exploitable over network with high attack complexity, requires no privileges and no user interaction. Impact on confidentiality is high, integrity high, and availability high.
Is CVE-2015-8983 being actively exploited?: It is not currently listed in CISA's KEV catalog. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score is 4% (89th percentile), an estimate of the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.
What products are affected by CVE-2015-8983?: CVE-2015-8983 affects Gnu Glibc. See the affected-products list for the exact vulnerable versions.
How do I fix CVE-2015-8983?: Review the linked vendor and NVD advisories for patched versions and mitigations, then upgrade or apply the recommended workaround. Given its high severity, prioritise patching exposed systems.
When was CVE-2015-8983 published?: CVE-2015-8983 was published on 2017-03-20 and last updated on 2026-06-17.

References

Affected products (1)

cpe:2.3:a:gnu:glibc:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*

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