How severe is CVE-2016-4478?

CVE-2016-4478 has a CVSS 3.x base score of 7.5, rated high severity. It is exploitable over network with low attack complexity, requires no privileges and no user interaction. Impact on confidentiality is none, integrity none, and availability high.

Is CVE-2016-4478 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-2016-4478?

CVE-2016-4478 primarily affects Atheme. In total, 4 product configurations (CPEs) are listed as vulnerable; see the affected-products list for the exact versions.

How do I fix CVE-2016-4478?

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-2016-4478 published?

CVE-2016-4478 was published on 2016-06-13 and last updated on 2026-06-17.

CVE-2016-4478

CVE-2016-4478 is a high-severity vulnerability in Atheme with a CVSS 3.x base score of 7.5. 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 7.5)
CVSS v2: 5.0
EPSS exploit prediction: 2% (81st percentile)
Actively exploited: Not listed in CISA KEV
Weakness: CWE-119
Affected product: Atheme
Published: 2016-06-13
Last modified: 2026-06-17

Description

Buffer overflow in the xmlrpc_char_encode function in modules/transport/xmlrpc/xmlrpclib.c in Atheme before 7.2.7 allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service via vectors related to XMLRPC response encoding.

Frequently asked questions

What is CVE-2016-4478?: Buffer overflow in the xmlrpc_char_encode function in modules/transport/xmlrpc/xmlrpclib.c in Atheme before 7.2.7 allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service via vectors related to XMLRPC response encoding.
How severe is CVE-2016-4478?: CVE-2016-4478 has a CVSS 3.x base score of 7.5, rated high severity. It is exploitable over network with low attack complexity, requires no privileges and no user interaction. Impact on confidentiality is none, integrity none, and availability high.
Is CVE-2016-4478 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-2016-4478?: CVE-2016-4478 primarily affects Atheme. In total, 4 product configurations (CPEs) are listed as vulnerable; see the affected-products list for the exact versions.
How do I fix CVE-2016-4478?: 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-2016-4478 published?: CVE-2016-4478 was published on 2016-06-13 and last updated on 2026-06-17.

References

Affected products (4)

cpe:2.3:o:opensuse:leap:42.1:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:opensuse:opensuse:13.2:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:atheme:atheme:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:debian:debian_linux:8.0:*:*:*:*:*:*:*

More vulnerabilities in Atheme

CVE-2022-24976 — Critical (CVSS 9.1): Atheme IRC Services before 7.2.12, when used in conjunction with InspIRCd, allows authentication bypass by ending an…
CVE-2024-27508 — High (CVSS 7.5): Atheme 7.2.12 contains a memory leak vulnerability in /atheme/src/crypto-benchmark/main.c.
CVE-2017-6384 — High (CVSS 7.5): Memory leak in the login_user function in saslserv/main.c in saslserv/main.so in Atheme 7.2.7 allows a remote…
CVE-2014-9773 — High (CVSS 7.5): modules/chanserv/flags.c in Atheme before 7.2.7 allows remote attackers to modify the Anope FLAGS behavior by…
CVE-2012-1576 — Medium (CVSS 6.0): The myuser_delete function in libathemecore/account.c in Atheme 5.x before 5.2.7, 6.x before 6.0.10, and 7.x before…

All CVEs affecting Atheme →

Other CWE-119 (Improper Restriction of Operations within the Bounds of a Memory Buffer) vulnerabilities

CVE-2026-2778 — Critical (CVSS 10.0): Sandbox escape due to incorrect boundary conditions in the DOM: Core & HTML component. This vulnerability was fixed in…
CVE-2026-2776 — Critical (CVSS 10.0): Sandbox escape due to incorrect boundary conditions in the Telemetry component in External Software. This vulnerability…
CVE-2025-1866 — Critical (CVSS 10.0): Improper Restriction of Operations within the Bounds of a Memory Buffer vulnerability in warmcat libwebsockets allows…
CVE-2022-27625 — Critical (CVSS 10.0): A vulnerability regarding improper restriction of operations within the bounds of a memory buffer is found in the…
CVE-2022-27624 — Critical (CVSS 10.0): A vulnerability regarding improper restriction of operations within the bounds of a memory buffer is found in the…
CVE-2020-11896 — Critical (CVSS 10.0): The Treck TCP/IP stack before 6.0.1.66 allows Remote Code Execution, related to IPv4 tunneling.

Browse all CWE-119 (Improper Restriction of Operations within the Bounds of a Memory Buffer) vulnerabilities →