How severe is CVE-2016-5417?

CVE-2016-5417 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-2016-5417 being actively exploited?

It is not currently listed in CISA's KEV catalog. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score is 3% (87th percentile), an estimate of the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.

What products are affected by CVE-2016-5417?

CVE-2016-5417 affects Gnu Glibc. See the affected-products list for the exact vulnerable versions.

How do I fix CVE-2016-5417?

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-2016-5417 published?

CVE-2016-5417 was published on 2017-02-17 and last updated on 2026-06-17.

CVE-2016-5417

CVE-2016-5417 is a high-severity vulnerability in Gnu Glibc 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-399.

Key facts

Severity: High (CVSS 3.x base score 7.5)
CVSS v2: 5.0
EPSS exploit prediction: 3% (87th percentile)
Actively exploited: Not listed in CISA KEV
Weakness: CWE-399
Affected product: Gnu Glibc
Published: 2017-02-17
Last modified: 2026-06-17

Description

Memory leak in the __res_vinit function in the IPv6 name server management code in libresolv in GNU C Library (aka glibc or libc6) before 2.24 allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (memory consumption) by leveraging partial initialization of internal resolver data structures.

Frequently asked questions

What is CVE-2016-5417?: Memory leak in the __res_vinit function in the IPv6 name server management code in libresolv in GNU C Library (aka glibc or libc6) before 2.24 allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (memory consumption) by leveraging partial initialization of internal resolver data structures.
How severe is CVE-2016-5417?: CVE-2016-5417 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-2016-5417 being actively exploited?: It is not currently listed in CISA's KEV catalog. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score is 3% (87th percentile), an estimate of the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.
What products are affected by CVE-2016-5417?: CVE-2016-5417 affects Gnu Glibc. See the affected-products list for the exact vulnerable versions.
How do I fix CVE-2016-5417?: 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-2016-5417 published?: CVE-2016-5417 was published on 2017-02-17 and last updated on 2026-06-17.

References

Affected products (1)

cpe:2.3:a:gnu:glibc:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*

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Other CWE-399 (Resource Management Errors) vulnerabilities

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CVE-2015-0339 — Critical (CVSS 10.0): Adobe Flash Player before 13.0.0.277 and 14.x through 17.x before 17.0.0.134 on Windows and OS X and before…
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CVE-2015-0333 — Critical (CVSS 10.0): Adobe Flash Player before 13.0.0.277 and 14.x through 17.x before 17.0.0.134 on Windows and OS X and before…
CVE-2014-4121 — Critical (CVSS 10.0): Microsoft .NET Framework 2.0 SP2, 3.5, 3.5.1, 4, 4.5, 4.5.1, and 4.5.2 does not properly parse internationalized…
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