How severe is CVE-2016-6531?

CVE-2016-6531 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-2016-6531 being actively exploited?

It is not currently listed in CISA's KEV catalog. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score is 2% (83rd percentile), an estimate of the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.

What products are affected by CVE-2016-6531?

CVE-2016-6531 affects Opendental. See the affected-products list for the exact vulnerable versions.

How do I fix CVE-2016-6531?

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-2016-6531 published?

CVE-2016-6531 was published on 2016-09-24 and last updated on 2026-06-17.

CVE-2016-6531

CVE-2016-6531 is a critical-severity vulnerability in Opendental 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-255.

Key facts

Severity: Critical (CVSS 3.x base score 9.8)
CVSS v2: 7.5
EPSS exploit prediction: 2% (83rd percentile)
Actively exploited: Not listed in CISA KEV
Weakness: CWE-255
Affected product: Opendental
Published: 2016-09-24
Last modified: 2026-06-17

Description

Open Dental 16.1 and earlier has a hardcoded MySQL root password, which allows remote attackers to obtain administrative access by leveraging access to intranet TCP port 3306. NOTE: the vendor disputes this issue, stating that the "vulnerability note ... is factually false ... there is indeed a default blank password, but it can be changed ... We recommend that users change it, each customer receives direction.

Frequently asked questions

What is CVE-2016-6531?: Open Dental 16.1 and earlier has a hardcoded MySQL root password, which allows remote attackers to obtain administrative access by leveraging access to intranet TCP port 3306. NOTE: the vendor disputes this issue, stating that the "vulnerability note ... is factually false ... there is indeed a default blank password, but it can be changed ... We recommend that users change it, each customer receives direction.
How severe is CVE-2016-6531?: CVE-2016-6531 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-2016-6531 being actively exploited?: It is not currently listed in CISA's KEV catalog. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score is 2% (83rd percentile), an estimate of the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.
What products are affected by CVE-2016-6531?: CVE-2016-6531 affects Opendental. See the affected-products list for the exact vulnerable versions.
How do I fix CVE-2016-6531?: 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-2016-6531 published?: CVE-2016-6531 was published on 2016-09-24 and last updated on 2026-06-17.

References

Affected products (1)

cpe:2.3:a:opendental:opendental:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*

More vulnerabilities in Opendental

CVE-2018-15719 — Critical (CVSS 9.8): Open Dental before version 18.4 installs a mysql database and uses the default credentials of "root" with a blank…
CVE-2018-15718 — High (CVSS 7.5): Open Dental before version 18.4 transmits the entire user database over the network when a remote unauthenticated user…
CVE-2018-15717 — Medium (CVSS 5.3): Open Dental before version 18.4 stores user passwords as base64 encoded MD5 hashes.

All CVEs affecting Opendental →

Other CWE-255 (Credentials Management Errors) vulnerabilities

CVE-2016-0898 — Critical (CVSS 10.0): MySQL for PCF tiles 1.7.x before 1.7.10 were discovered to log the AWS access key in plaintext. These credentials were…
CVE-2015-7906 — Critical (CVSS 10.0): LOYTEC LIP-3ECTB 6.0.1, LINX-100, LVIS-3E100, and LIP-ME201 devices allow remote attackers to read a password-hash…
CVE-2015-7856 — Critical (CVSS 10.0): OpenNMS has a default password of rtc for the rtc account, which makes it easier for remote attackers to obtain access…
CVE-2014-9736 — Critical (CVSS 10.0): GE Healthcare Centricity Clinical Archive Audit Trail Repository has a default password of initinit for the (1) SSL key…
CVE-2014-7233 — Critical (CVSS 10.0): GE Healthcare Precision THUNIS-800+ has a default password of (1) 1973 for the factory default System Utilities menu,…
CVE-2014-7232 — Critical (CVSS 10.0): GE Healthcare Discovery XR656 and XR656 G2 has a password of (1) 2getin for the insite user, (2) 4$xray for the xruser…

Browse all CWE-255 (Credentials Management Errors) vulnerabilities →