How severe is CVE-2016-2148?

CVE-2016-2148 has a CVSS 3.x base score of 9.8, rated critical severity. It is exploitable over network with low attack complexity, requires no privileges and no user interaction. Impact on confidentiality is high, integrity high, and availability high.

Is CVE-2016-2148 being actively exploited?

It is not currently listed in CISA's KEV catalog. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score is 27% (98th percentile), an estimate of the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.

What products are affected by CVE-2016-2148?

CVE-2016-2148 primarily affects Busybox. In total, 7 product configurations (CPEs) are listed as vulnerable; see the affected-products list for the exact versions.

How do I fix CVE-2016-2148?

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

When was CVE-2016-2148 published?

CVE-2016-2148 was published on 2017-02-09 and last updated on 2026-06-17.

CVE-2016-2148

CVE-2016-2148 is a critical-severity vulnerability in Busybox with a CVSS 3.x base score of 9.8. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score of 27% places it in the 98th percentile, indicating an elevated likelihood of exploitation. The underlying weakness is classified as CWE-119.

Key facts

Severity: Critical (CVSS 3.x base score 9.8)
CVSS v2: 7.5
EPSS exploit prediction: 27% (98th percentile)
Actively exploited: Not listed in CISA KEV
Weakness: CWE-119
Affected product: Busybox
Published: 2017-02-09
Last modified: 2026-06-17

Description

Heap-based buffer overflow in the DHCP client (udhcpc) in BusyBox before 1.25.0 allows remote attackers to have unspecified impact via vectors involving OPTION_6RD parsing.

Frequently asked questions

What is CVE-2016-2148?: Heap-based buffer overflow in the DHCP client (udhcpc) in BusyBox before 1.25.0 allows remote attackers to have unspecified impact via vectors involving OPTION_6RD parsing.
How severe is CVE-2016-2148?: CVE-2016-2148 has a CVSS 3.x base score of 9.8, rated critical severity. It is exploitable over network with low attack complexity, requires no privileges and no user interaction. Impact on confidentiality is high, integrity high, and availability high.
Is CVE-2016-2148 being actively exploited?: It is not currently listed in CISA's KEV catalog. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score is 27% (98th percentile), an estimate of the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.
What products are affected by CVE-2016-2148?: CVE-2016-2148 primarily affects Busybox. In total, 7 product configurations (CPEs) are listed as vulnerable; see the affected-products list for the exact versions.
How do I fix CVE-2016-2148?: Review the linked vendor and NVD advisories for patched versions and mitigations, then upgrade or apply the recommended workaround. Given its critical severity, prioritise patching exposed systems.
When was CVE-2016-2148 published?: CVE-2016-2148 was published on 2017-02-09 and last updated on 2026-06-17.

References

Affected products (7)

cpe:2.3:a:busybox:busybox:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:debian:debian_linux:8.0:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:debian:debian_linux:9.0:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:canonical:ubuntu_linux:14.04:*:*:*:esm:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:canonical:ubuntu_linux:16.04:*:*:*:lts:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:canonical:ubuntu_linux:18.04:*:*:*:lts:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:canonical:ubuntu_linux:18.10:*:*:*:*:*:*:*

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