How severe is CVE-2016-5008?

CVE-2016-5008 has a CVSS 3.x base score of 9.8, rated critical severity. It is exploitable over network with low attack complexity, requires no privileges and no user interaction. Impact on confidentiality is high, integrity high, and availability high.

Is CVE-2016-5008 being actively exploited?

It is not currently listed in CISA's KEV catalog. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score is 4% (88th percentile), an estimate of the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.

What products are affected by CVE-2016-5008?

CVE-2016-5008 primarily affects Redhat Libvirt. In total, 2 product configurations (CPEs) are listed as vulnerable; see the affected-products list for the exact versions.

How do I fix CVE-2016-5008?

Review the linked vendor and NVD advisories for patched versions and mitigations, then upgrade or apply the recommended workaround. Given its critical severity, prioritise patching exposed systems.

When was CVE-2016-5008 published?

CVE-2016-5008 was published on 2016-07-13 and last updated on 2026-06-17.

CVE-2016-5008

CVE-2016-5008 is a critical-severity vulnerability in Redhat Libvirt with a CVSS 3.x base score of 9.8. 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-284.

Key facts

Severity: Critical (CVSS 3.x base score 9.8)
CVSS v2: 4.3
EPSS exploit prediction: 4% (88th percentile)
Actively exploited: Not listed in CISA KEV
Weakness: CWE-284
Affected product: Redhat Libvirt
Published: 2016-07-13
Last modified: 2026-06-17

Description

libvirt before 2.0.0 improperly disables password checking when the password on a VNC server is set to an empty string, which allows remote attackers to bypass authentication and establish a VNC session by connecting to the server.

Frequently asked questions

What is CVE-2016-5008?: libvirt before 2.0.0 improperly disables password checking when the password on a VNC server is set to an empty string, which allows remote attackers to bypass authentication and establish a VNC session by connecting to the server.
How severe is CVE-2016-5008?: CVE-2016-5008 has a CVSS 3.x base score of 9.8, rated critical severity. It is exploitable over network with low attack complexity, requires no privileges and no user interaction. Impact on confidentiality is high, integrity high, and availability high.
Is CVE-2016-5008 being actively exploited?: It is not currently listed in CISA's KEV catalog. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score is 4% (88th percentile), an estimate of the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.
What products are affected by CVE-2016-5008?: CVE-2016-5008 primarily affects Redhat Libvirt. In total, 2 product configurations (CPEs) are listed as vulnerable; see the affected-products list for the exact versions.
How do I fix CVE-2016-5008?: Review the linked vendor and NVD advisories for patched versions and mitigations, then upgrade or apply the recommended workaround. Given its critical severity, prioritise patching exposed systems.
When was CVE-2016-5008 published?: CVE-2016-5008 was published on 2016-07-13 and last updated on 2026-06-17.

References

Affected products (2)

cpe:2.3:a:redhat:libvirt:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:debian:debian_linux:8.0:*:*:*:*:*:*:*

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