How severe is CVE-2016-3981?

CVE-2016-3981 has a CVSS 3.x base score of 7.8, rated high severity. It is exploitable over local access with low attack complexity, requires no privileges and user interaction. Impact on confidentiality is high, integrity high, and availability high.

Is CVE-2016-3981 being actively exploited?

It is not currently listed in CISA's KEV catalog. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score is 4% (90th percentile), an estimate of the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.

What products are affected by CVE-2016-3981?

CVE-2016-3981 primarily affects Optipng Project Optipng. In total, 6 product configurations (CPEs) are listed as vulnerable; see the affected-products list for the exact versions.

How do I fix CVE-2016-3981?

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-2016-3981 published?

CVE-2016-3981 was published on 2016-04-13 and last updated on 2026-06-17.

CVE-2016-3981

CVE-2016-3981 is a high-severity vulnerability in Optipng Project Optipng with a CVSS 3.x base score of 7.8. 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-119.

Key facts

Severity: High (CVSS 3.x base score 7.8)
CVSS v2: 9.3
EPSS exploit prediction: 4% (90th percentile)
Actively exploited: Not listed in CISA KEV
Weakness: CWE-119
Affected product: Optipng Project Optipng
Published: 2016-04-13
Last modified: 2026-06-17

Description

Heap-based buffer overflow in the bmp_read_rows function in pngxrbmp.c in OptiPNG before 0.7.6 allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (out-of-bounds read or write access and crash) or possibly execute arbitrary code via a crafted image file.

Frequently asked questions

What is CVE-2016-3981?: Heap-based buffer overflow in the bmp_read_rows function in pngxrbmp.c in OptiPNG before 0.7.6 allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (out-of-bounds read or write access and crash) or possibly execute arbitrary code via a crafted image file.
How severe is CVE-2016-3981?: CVE-2016-3981 has a CVSS 3.x base score of 7.8, rated high severity. It is exploitable over local access with low attack complexity, requires no privileges and user interaction. Impact on confidentiality is high, integrity high, and availability high.
Is CVE-2016-3981 being actively exploited?: It is not currently listed in CISA's KEV catalog. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score is 4% (90th percentile), an estimate of the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.
What products are affected by CVE-2016-3981?: CVE-2016-3981 primarily affects Optipng Project Optipng. In total, 6 product configurations (CPEs) are listed as vulnerable; see the affected-products list for the exact versions.
How do I fix CVE-2016-3981?: 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-2016-3981 published?: CVE-2016-3981 was published on 2016-04-13 and last updated on 2026-06-17.

References

Affected products (6)

cpe:2.3:a:optipng_project:optipng:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:canonical:ubuntu_linux:12.04:*:*:*:lts:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:canonical:ubuntu_linux:14.04:*:*:*:lts:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:canonical:ubuntu_linux:15.10:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:debian:debian_linux:7.0:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:debian:debian_linux:8.0:*:*:*:*:*:*:*

More vulnerabilities in Optipng Project Optipng

CVE-2015-7801 — High (CVSS 8.8): Use-after-free vulnerability in OptiPNG 0.6.4 allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code via a crafted PNG file.
CVE-2016-3982 — High (CVSS 8.8): Off-by-one error in the bmp_rle4_fread function in pngxrbmp.c in OptiPNG before 0.7.6 allows remote attackers to cause…
CVE-2023-43907 — High (CVSS 7.8): OptiPNG v0.7.7 was discovered to contain a global buffer overflow via the 'buffer' variable at gifread.c.
CVE-2017-16938 — High (CVSS 7.8): A global buffer overflow in OptiPNG 0.7.6 allows remote attackers to cause a denial-of-service attack or other…
CVE-2017-1000229 — High (CVSS 7.8): Integer overflow bug in function minitiff_read_info() of optipng 0.7.6 allows an attacker to remotely execute code or…
CVE-2009-0749 — High (CVSS 7.8): Use-after-free vulnerability in the GIFReadNextExtension function in lib/pngxtern/gif/gifread.c in OptiPNG 0.6.2 and…

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