How severe is CVE-2016-2785?

CVE-2016-2785 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-2016-2785 being actively exploited?

It is not currently listed in CISA's KEV catalog. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score is 3% (85th percentile), an estimate of the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.

What products are affected by CVE-2016-2785?

CVE-2016-2785 primarily affects Puppet. In total, 22 product configurations (CPEs) are listed as vulnerable; see the affected-products list for the exact versions.

How do I fix CVE-2016-2785?

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-2016-2785 published?

CVE-2016-2785 was published on 2016-06-10 and last updated on 2026-06-17.

CVE-2016-2785

CVE-2016-2785 is a critical-severity vulnerability in Puppet with a CVSS 3.x base score of 9.8. 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-284.

Key facts

Severity: Critical (CVSS 3.x base score 9.8)
CVSS v2: 7.5
EPSS exploit prediction: 3% (85th percentile)
Actively exploited: Not listed in CISA KEV
Weakness: CWE-284
Affected product: Puppet
Published: 2016-06-10
Last modified: 2026-06-17

Description

Puppet Server before 2.3.2 and Ruby puppetmaster in Puppet 4.x before 4.4.2 and in Puppet Agent before 1.4.2 might allow remote attackers to bypass intended auth.conf access restrictions by leveraging incorrect URL decoding.

Frequently asked questions

What is CVE-2016-2785?: Puppet Server before 2.3.2 and Ruby puppetmaster in Puppet 4.x before 4.4.2 and in Puppet Agent before 1.4.2 might allow remote attackers to bypass intended auth.conf access restrictions by leveraging incorrect URL decoding.
How severe is CVE-2016-2785?: CVE-2016-2785 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-2016-2785 being actively exploited?: It is not currently listed in CISA's KEV catalog. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score is 3% (85th percentile), an estimate of the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.
What products are affected by CVE-2016-2785?: CVE-2016-2785 primarily affects Puppet. In total, 22 product configurations (CPEs) are listed as vulnerable; see the affected-products list for the exact versions.
How do I fix CVE-2016-2785?: 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-2016-2785 published?: CVE-2016-2785 was published on 2016-06-10 and last updated on 2026-06-17.

References

Affected products (22)

cpe:2.3:a:puppet:puppet:4.0.0:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:puppet:puppet:4.0.0:rc1:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:puppet:puppet:4.0.0:rc2:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:puppet:puppet:4.0.0:rc3:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:puppet:puppet:4.1.0:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:puppet:puppet:4.2.0:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:puppet:puppet:4.2.1:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:puppet:puppet:4.2.2:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:puppet:puppet:4.2.3:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:puppet:puppet:4.3.0:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:puppet:puppet:4.3.1:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:puppet:puppet:4.3.2:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:puppet:puppet:4.4.0:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:puppet:puppet:4.4.1:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:puppet:puppet_server:2.0.0:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:puppet:puppet_server:2.1.0:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:puppet:puppet_server:2.1.1:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:puppet:puppet_server:2.1.2:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:puppet:puppet_server:2.2.0:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:puppet:puppet_server:2.3.0:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:puppet:puppet_server:2.3.1:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:puppet:puppet_agent:1.4.1:*:*:*:*:*:*:*

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