How severe is CVE-2016-3643?

CVE-2016-3643 has a CVSS 3.x base score of 7.8, rated high severity. It is exploitable over local access with low attack complexity, requires low privileges and no user interaction. Impact on confidentiality is high, integrity high, and availability high.

Is CVE-2016-3643 being actively exploited?

Yes. CVE-2016-3643 is on CISA's Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEV) catalog, added on 2021-11-03, which means active exploitation has been confirmed. It should be prioritised for remediation.

What products are affected by CVE-2016-3643?

CVE-2016-3643 affects Solarwinds Virtualization Manager. See the affected-products list for the exact vulnerable versions.

How do I fix CVE-2016-3643?

Review the linked vendor and NVD advisories for patched versions and mitigations, then upgrade or apply the recommended workaround. Because this CVE is known to be actively exploited, treat remediation as urgent — CISA KEV typically sets a short remediation deadline.

Does CVE-2016-3643 have an EU (EUVD) identifier?

Yes. CVE-2016-3643 is tracked in the ENISA EU Vulnerability Database (EUVD) as EUVD-2016-4668. It is also flagged as exploited in the EUVD (since 2021-11-03).

When was CVE-2016-3643 published?

CVE-2016-3643 was published on 2016-06-17 and last updated on 2026-06-17.

CVE-2016-3643

CVE-2016-3643 is a high-severity vulnerability in Solarwinds Virtualization Manager with a CVSS 3.x base score of 7.8. It is listed in CISA's Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEV) catalog, confirming it has been exploited in the wild (added 2021-11-03). The underlying weakness is classified as CWE-264.

Key facts

Severity: High (CVSS 3.x base score 7.8)
CVSS v2: 7.2
EPSS exploit prediction: 4% (88th percentile)
Actively exploited: Yes — listed in CISA KEV (added 2021-11-03)
EU (EUVD) id: EUVD-2016-4668
EU exploitation: Flagged exploited in the ENISA EU Vulnerability Database (since 2021-11-03)
Weakness: CWE-264
Affected product: Solarwinds Virtualization Manager
Published: 2016-06-17
Last modified: 2026-06-17

Description

SolarWinds Virtualization Manager 6.3.1 and earlier allow local users to gain privileges by leveraging a misconfiguration of sudo, as demonstrated by "sudo cat /etc/passwd."

Frequently asked questions

What is CVE-2016-3643?: SolarWinds Virtualization Manager 6.3.1 and earlier allow local users to gain privileges by leveraging a misconfiguration of sudo, as demonstrated by "sudo cat /etc/passwd."
How severe is CVE-2016-3643?: CVE-2016-3643 has a CVSS 3.x base score of 7.8, rated high severity. It is exploitable over local access with low attack complexity, requires low privileges and no user interaction. Impact on confidentiality is high, integrity high, and availability high.
Is CVE-2016-3643 being actively exploited?: Yes. CVE-2016-3643 is on CISA's Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEV) catalog, added on 2021-11-03, which means active exploitation has been confirmed. It should be prioritised for remediation.
What products are affected by CVE-2016-3643?: CVE-2016-3643 affects Solarwinds Virtualization Manager. See the affected-products list for the exact vulnerable versions.
How do I fix CVE-2016-3643?: Review the linked vendor and NVD advisories for patched versions and mitigations, then upgrade or apply the recommended workaround. Because this CVE is known to be actively exploited, treat remediation as urgent — CISA KEV typically sets a short remediation deadline.
Does CVE-2016-3643 have an EU (EUVD) identifier?: Yes. CVE-2016-3643 is tracked in the ENISA EU Vulnerability Database (EUVD) as EUVD-2016-4668. It is also flagged as exploited in the EUVD (since 2021-11-03).
When was CVE-2016-3643 published?: CVE-2016-3643 was published on 2016-06-17 and last updated on 2026-06-17.

References

Affected products (1)

cpe:2.3:a:solarwinds:virtualization_manager:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*

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