How severe is CVE-2016-5713?

CVE-2016-5713 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-2016-5713 being actively exploited?

It is not currently listed in CISA's KEV catalog. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score is 2% (79th percentile), an estimate of the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.

What products are affected by CVE-2016-5713?

CVE-2016-5713 affects Puppet Puppet Agent. See the affected-products list for the exact vulnerable versions.

How do I fix CVE-2016-5713?

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-2016-5713 published?

CVE-2016-5713 was published on 2017-12-06 and last updated on 2026-06-17.

CVE-2016-5713

CVE-2016-5713 is a critical-severity vulnerability in Puppet Puppet Agent 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-94.

Key facts

Severity: Critical (CVSS 3.x base score 9.8)
CVSS v2: 7.5
EPSS exploit prediction: 2% (79th percentile)
Actively exploited: Not listed in CISA KEV
Weakness: CWE-94
Affected product: Puppet Puppet Agent
Published: 2017-12-06
Last modified: 2026-06-17

Description

Versions of Puppet Agent prior to 1.6.0 included a version of the Puppet Execution Protocol (PXP) agent that passed environment variables through to Puppet runs. This could allow unauthorized code to be loaded. This bug was first introduced in Puppet Agent 1.3.0.

Frequently asked questions

What is CVE-2016-5713?: Versions of Puppet Agent prior to 1.6.0 included a version of the Puppet Execution Protocol (PXP) agent that passed environment variables through to Puppet runs. This could allow unauthorized code to be loaded. This bug was first introduced in Puppet Agent 1.3.0.
How severe is CVE-2016-5713?: CVE-2016-5713 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-2016-5713 being actively exploited?: It is not currently listed in CISA's KEV catalog. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score is 2% (79th percentile), an estimate of the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.
What products are affected by CVE-2016-5713?: CVE-2016-5713 affects Puppet Puppet Agent. See the affected-products list for the exact vulnerable versions.
How do I fix CVE-2016-5713?: 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-2016-5713 published?: CVE-2016-5713 was published on 2017-12-06 and last updated on 2026-06-17.

References

https://puppet.com/security/cve/cve-2016-5713

Affected products (1)

cpe:2.3:a:puppet:puppet_agent:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*

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