How severe is CVE-2016-6262?

CVE-2016-6262 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 high, integrity none, and availability none.

Is CVE-2016-6262 being actively exploited?

It is not currently listed in CISA's KEV catalog. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score is 7% (93rd percentile), an estimate of the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.

What products are affected by CVE-2016-6262?

CVE-2016-6262 primarily affects Gnu Libidn. In total, 6 product configurations (CPEs) are listed as vulnerable; see the affected-products list for the exact versions.

How do I fix CVE-2016-6262?

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-2016-6262 published?

CVE-2016-6262 was published on 2016-09-07 and last updated on 2026-06-17.

CVE-2016-6262

CVE-2016-6262 is a high-severity vulnerability in Gnu Libidn 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-125.

Key facts

Severity: High (CVSS 3.x base score 7.5)
CVSS v2: 5.0
EPSS exploit prediction: 7% (93rd percentile)
Actively exploited: Not listed in CISA KEV
Weakness: CWE-125
Affected product: Gnu Libidn
Published: 2016-09-07
Last modified: 2026-06-17

Description

idn in libidn before 1.33 might allow remote attackers to obtain sensitive memory information by reading a zero byte as input, which triggers an out-of-bounds read, a different vulnerability than CVE-2015-8948.

Frequently asked questions

What is CVE-2016-6262?: idn in libidn before 1.33 might allow remote attackers to obtain sensitive memory information by reading a zero byte as input, which triggers an out-of-bounds read, a different vulnerability than CVE-2015-8948.
How severe is CVE-2016-6262?: CVE-2016-6262 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 high, integrity none, and availability none.
Is CVE-2016-6262 being actively exploited?: It is not currently listed in CISA's KEV catalog. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score is 7% (93rd percentile), an estimate of the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.
What products are affected by CVE-2016-6262?: CVE-2016-6262 primarily affects Gnu Libidn. In total, 6 product configurations (CPEs) are listed as vulnerable; see the affected-products list for the exact versions.
How do I fix CVE-2016-6262?: 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-2016-6262 published?: CVE-2016-6262 was published on 2016-09-07 and last updated on 2026-06-17.

References

Affected products (6)

cpe:2.3:a:gnu:libidn:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
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:16.04:*:*:*:lts:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:opensuse:leap:42.1:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:opensuse:opensuse:13.2:*:*:*:*:*:*:*

More vulnerabilities in Gnu Libidn

CVE-2016-6263 — High (CVSS 7.5): The stringprep_utf8_nfkc_normalize function in lib/nfkc.c in libidn before 1.33 allows context-dependent attackers to…
CVE-2016-6261 — High (CVSS 7.5): The idna_to_ascii_4i function in lib/idna.c in libidn before 1.33 allows context-dependent attackers to cause a denial…
CVE-2015-8948 — High (CVSS 7.5): idn in GNU libidn before 1.33 might allow remote attackers to obtain sensitive memory information by reading a zero…
CVE-2015-2059 — High (CVSS 7.5): The stringprep_utf8_to_ucs4 function in libin before 1.31, as used in jabberd2, allows context-dependent attackers to…
CVE-2026-57053 — Medium (CVSS 4.0): GNU libidn before 1.44 is prone to out-of-bounds reads of uninitialized memory in the ToUnicode APIs because of…

All CVEs affecting Gnu Libidn →

Other CWE-125 (Out-of-bounds Read) vulnerabilities

CVE-2026-24826 — Critical (CVSS 10.0): Out-of-bounds Write, Divide By Zero, NULL Pointer Dereference, Use of Uninitialized Resource, Out-of-bounds Read,…
CVE-2024-22004 — Critical (CVSS 10.0): Due to length check, an attacker with privilege access on a Linux Nonsecure operating system can trigger a…
CVE-2021-41556 — Critical (CVSS 10.0): sqclass.cpp in Squirrel through 2.2.5 and 3.x through 3.1 allows an out-of-bounds read (in the core interpreter) that…
CVE-2021-21777 — Critical (CVSS 10.0): An information disclosure vulnerability exists in the Ethernet/IP UDP handler functionality of EIP Stack Group OpENer…
CVE-2017-14451 — Critical (CVSS 10.0): An exploitable out-of-bounds read vulnerability exists in libevm (Ethereum Virtual Machine) of CPP-Ethereum. A…
CVE-2013-0767 — Critical (CVSS 10.0): The nsSVGPathElement::GetPathLengthScale function in Mozilla Firefox before 18.0, Firefox ESR 10.x before 10.0.12 and…

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