How severe is CVE-2016-10197?

CVE-2016-10197 has a CVSS 3.x base score of 7.5, rated high severity. It is exploitable over network with low attack complexity, requires no privileges and no user interaction. Impact on confidentiality is none, integrity none, and availability high.

Is CVE-2016-10197 being actively exploited?

It is not currently listed in CISA's KEV catalog. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score is 5% (91st percentile), an estimate of the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.

What products are affected by CVE-2016-10197?

CVE-2016-10197 primarily affects Libevent Project Libevent. In total, 2 product configurations (CPEs) are listed as vulnerable; see the affected-products list for the exact versions.

How do I fix CVE-2016-10197?

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-2016-10197 published?

CVE-2016-10197 was published on 2017-03-15 and last updated on 2026-06-17.

CVE-2016-10197

CVE-2016-10197 is a high-severity vulnerability in Libevent Project Libevent with a CVSS 3.x base score of 7.5. 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-125.

Key facts

Severity: High (CVSS 3.x base score 7.5)
CVSS v2: 5.0
EPSS exploit prediction: 5% (91st percentile)
Actively exploited: Not listed in CISA KEV
Weakness: CWE-125
Affected product: Libevent Project Libevent
Published: 2017-03-15
Last modified: 2026-06-17

Description

The search_make_new function in evdns.c in libevent before 2.1.6-beta allows attackers to cause a denial of service (out-of-bounds read) via an empty hostname.

Frequently asked questions

What is CVE-2016-10197?: The search_make_new function in evdns.c in libevent before 2.1.6-beta allows attackers to cause a denial of service (out-of-bounds read) via an empty hostname.
How severe is CVE-2016-10197?: CVE-2016-10197 has a CVSS 3.x base score of 7.5, rated high severity. It is exploitable over network with low attack complexity, requires no privileges and no user interaction. Impact on confidentiality is none, integrity none, and availability high.
Is CVE-2016-10197 being actively exploited?: It is not currently listed in CISA's KEV catalog. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score is 5% (91st percentile), an estimate of the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.
What products are affected by CVE-2016-10197?: CVE-2016-10197 primarily affects Libevent Project Libevent. In total, 2 product configurations (CPEs) are listed as vulnerable; see the affected-products list for the exact versions.
How do I fix CVE-2016-10197?: 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-2016-10197 published?: CVE-2016-10197 was published on 2017-03-15 and last updated on 2026-06-17.

References

Affected products (2)

cpe:2.3:o:debian:debian_linux:8.0:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:libevent_project:libevent:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*

More vulnerabilities in Libevent Project Libevent

CVE-2016-10195 — Critical (CVSS 9.8): The name_parse function in evdns.c in libevent before 2.1.6-beta allows remote attackers to have unspecified impact via…
CVE-2016-10196 — High (CVSS 7.5): Stack-based buffer overflow in the evutil_parse_sockaddr_port function in evutil.c in libevent before 2.1.6-beta allows…
CVE-2015-6525 — High (CVSS 7.5): Multiple integer overflows in the evbuffer API in Libevent 2.0.x before 2.0.22 and 2.1.x before 2.1.5-beta allow…
CVE-2014-6272 — High (CVSS 7.5): Multiple integer overflows in the evbuffer API in Libevent 1.4.x before 1.4.15, 2.0.x before 2.0.22, and 2.1.x before…

All CVEs affecting Libevent Project Libevent →

Other CWE-125 (Out-of-bounds Read) vulnerabilities

CVE-2026-24826 — Critical (CVSS 10.0): Out-of-bounds Write, Divide By Zero, NULL Pointer Dereference, Use of Uninitialized Resource, Out-of-bounds Read,…
CVE-2024-22004 — Critical (CVSS 10.0): Due to length check, an attacker with privilege access on a Linux Nonsecure operating system can trigger a…
CVE-2021-41556 — Critical (CVSS 10.0): sqclass.cpp in Squirrel through 2.2.5 and 3.x through 3.1 allows an out-of-bounds read (in the core interpreter) that…
CVE-2021-21777 — Critical (CVSS 10.0): An information disclosure vulnerability exists in the Ethernet/IP UDP handler functionality of EIP Stack Group OpENer…
CVE-2017-14451 — Critical (CVSS 10.0): An exploitable out-of-bounds read vulnerability exists in libevm (Ethereum Virtual Machine) of CPP-Ethereum. A…
CVE-2013-0767 — Critical (CVSS 10.0): The nsSVGPathElement::GetPathLengthScale function in Mozilla Firefox before 18.0, Firefox ESR 10.x before 10.0.12 and…

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