How severe is CVE-2016-3169?

CVE-2016-3169 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-2016-3169 being actively exploited?

It is not currently listed in CISA's KEV catalog. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score is 2% (81st percentile), an estimate of the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.

What products are affected by CVE-2016-3169?

CVE-2016-3169 primarily affects Drupal. In total, 107 product configurations (CPEs) are listed as vulnerable; see the affected-products list for the exact versions.

How do I fix CVE-2016-3169?

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-2016-3169 published?

CVE-2016-3169 was published on 2016-04-12 and last updated on 2026-06-17.

CVE-2016-3169

CVE-2016-3169 is a high-severity vulnerability in Drupal 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-264.

Key facts

Severity: High (CVSS 3.x base score 8.1)
CVSS v2: 6.8
EPSS exploit prediction: 2% (81st percentile)
Actively exploited: Not listed in CISA KEV
Weakness: CWE-264
Affected product: Drupal
Published: 2016-04-12
Last modified: 2026-06-17

Description

The User module in Drupal 6.x before 6.38 and 7.x before 7.43 allows remote attackers to gain privileges by leveraging contributed or custom code that calls the user_save function with an explicit category and loads all roles into the array.

Frequently asked questions

What is CVE-2016-3169?: The User module in Drupal 6.x before 6.38 and 7.x before 7.43 allows remote attackers to gain privileges by leveraging contributed or custom code that calls the user_save function with an explicit category and loads all roles into the array.
How severe is CVE-2016-3169?: CVE-2016-3169 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-2016-3169 being actively exploited?: It is not currently listed in CISA's KEV catalog. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score is 2% (81st percentile), an estimate of the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.
What products are affected by CVE-2016-3169?: CVE-2016-3169 primarily affects Drupal. In total, 107 product configurations (CPEs) are listed as vulnerable; see the affected-products list for the exact versions.
How do I fix CVE-2016-3169?: 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-2016-3169 published?: CVE-2016-3169 was published on 2016-04-12 and last updated on 2026-06-17.

References

Affected products (107)

cpe:2.3:o:debian:debian_linux:7.0:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:debian:debian_linux:8.0:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:drupal:drupal:6.0:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:drupal:drupal:6.0:beta1:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:drupal:drupal:6.0:beta2:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:drupal:drupal:6.0:beta3:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:drupal:drupal:6.0:beta4:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:drupal:drupal:6.0:dev:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:drupal:drupal:6.0:rc1:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:drupal:drupal:6.0:rc2:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:drupal:drupal:6.0:rc3:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:drupal:drupal:6.0:rc4:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:drupal:drupal:6.1:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:drupal:drupal:6.2:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:drupal:drupal:6.3:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:drupal:drupal:6.4:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:drupal:drupal:6.5:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:drupal:drupal:6.6:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:drupal:drupal:6.7:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:drupal:drupal:6.8:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:drupal:drupal:6.9:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:drupal:drupal:6.10:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:drupal:drupal:6.11:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:drupal:drupal:6.12:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:drupal:drupal:6.13:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:drupal:drupal:6.14:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:drupal:drupal:6.15:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:drupal:drupal:6.16:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:drupal:drupal:6.17:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:drupal:drupal:6.18:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:drupal:drupal:6.19:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:drupal:drupal:6.20:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:drupal:drupal:6.21:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:drupal:drupal:6.22:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:drupal:drupal:6.23:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:drupal:drupal:6.24:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:drupal:drupal:6.25:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:drupal:drupal:6.26:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:drupal:drupal:6.27:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:drupal:drupal:6.28:*:*:*:*:*:*:*

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