How severe is CVE-2016-4804?

CVE-2016-4804 has a CVSS 3.x base score of 6.2, rated medium severity. It is exploitable over local access with low attack complexity, requires no privileges and no user interaction. Impact on confidentiality is none, integrity none, and availability high.

Is CVE-2016-4804 being actively exploited?

It is not currently listed in CISA's KEV catalog. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score is 0% (36th percentile), an estimate of the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.

What products are affected by CVE-2016-4804?

CVE-2016-4804 primarily affects Dosfstools Project Dosfstools. In total, 7 product configurations (CPEs) are listed as vulnerable; see the affected-products list for the exact versions.

How do I fix CVE-2016-4804?

Review the linked vendor and NVD advisories for patched versions and mitigations, then upgrade or apply the recommended workaround.

When was CVE-2016-4804 published?

CVE-2016-4804 was published on 2016-06-03 and last updated on 2026-06-17.

CVE-2016-4804

CVE-2016-4804 is a medium-severity vulnerability in Dosfstools Project Dosfstools with a CVSS 3.x base score of 6.2. 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: Medium (CVSS 3.x base score 6.2)
CVSS v2: 2.1
EPSS exploit prediction: 0% (36th percentile)
Actively exploited: Not listed in CISA KEV
Weakness: CWE-119
Affected product: Dosfstools Project Dosfstools
Published: 2016-06-03
Last modified: 2026-06-17

Description

The read_boot function in boot.c in dosfstools before 4.0 allows attackers to cause a denial of service (crash) via a crafted filesystem, which triggers a heap-based buffer overflow in the (1) read_fat function or an out-of-bounds heap read in (2) get_fat function.

Frequently asked questions

What is CVE-2016-4804?: The read_boot function in boot.c in dosfstools before 4.0 allows attackers to cause a denial of service (crash) via a crafted filesystem, which triggers a heap-based buffer overflow in the (1) read_fat function or an out-of-bounds heap read in (2) get_fat function.
How severe is CVE-2016-4804?: CVE-2016-4804 has a CVSS 3.x base score of 6.2, rated medium severity. It is exploitable over local access with low attack complexity, requires no privileges and no user interaction. Impact on confidentiality is none, integrity none, and availability high.
Is CVE-2016-4804 being actively exploited?: It is not currently listed in CISA's KEV catalog. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score is 0% (36th percentile), an estimate of the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.
What products are affected by CVE-2016-4804?: CVE-2016-4804 primarily affects Dosfstools Project Dosfstools. In total, 7 product configurations (CPEs) are listed as vulnerable; see the affected-products list for the exact versions.
How do I fix CVE-2016-4804?: Review the linked vendor and NVD advisories for patched versions and mitigations, then upgrade or apply the recommended workaround.
When was CVE-2016-4804 published?: CVE-2016-4804 was published on 2016-06-03 and last updated on 2026-06-17.

References

Affected products (7)

cpe:2.3:a:dosfstools_project:dosfstools:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:opensuse:leap:42.1:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:opensuse:opensuse:13.2:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
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:canonical:ubuntu_linux:16.04:*:*:*:lts:*:*:*

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