How severe is CVE-2016-9966?

CVE-2016-9966 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-2016-9966 being actively exploited?

It is not currently listed in CISA's KEV catalog. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score is 2% (77th percentile), an estimate of the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.

What products are affected by CVE-2016-9966?

CVE-2016-9966 primarily affects Samsung Samsung Mobile. In total, 4 product configurations (CPEs) are listed as vulnerable; see the affected-products list for the exact versions.

How do I fix CVE-2016-9966?

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-2016-9966 published?

CVE-2016-9966 was published on 2016-12-16 and last updated on 2026-06-17.

CVE-2016-9966

CVE-2016-9966 is a critical-severity vulnerability in Samsung Samsung Mobile 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-388.

Key facts

Severity: Critical (CVSS 3.x base score 9.8)
CVSS v2: 10.0
EPSS exploit prediction: 2% (77th percentile)
Actively exploited: Not listed in CISA KEV
Weakness: CWE-388
Affected product: Samsung Samsung Mobile
Published: 2016-12-16
Last modified: 2026-06-17

Description

Lack of appropriate exception handling in some receivers of the Telecom application on Samsung Note devices with L(5.0/5.1), M(6.0), and N(7.0) software allows attackers to crash the system easily resulting in a possible DoS attack, or possibly gain privileges. The Samsung ID is SVE-2016-7120.

Frequently asked questions

What is CVE-2016-9966?: Lack of appropriate exception handling in some receivers of the Telecom application on Samsung Note devices with L(5.0/5.1), M(6.0), and N(7.0) software allows attackers to crash the system easily resulting in a possible DoS attack, or possibly gain privileges. The Samsung ID is SVE-2016-7120.
How severe is CVE-2016-9966?: CVE-2016-9966 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-2016-9966 being actively exploited?: It is not currently listed in CISA's KEV catalog. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score is 2% (77th percentile), an estimate of the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.
What products are affected by CVE-2016-9966?: CVE-2016-9966 primarily affects Samsung Samsung Mobile. In total, 4 product configurations (CPEs) are listed as vulnerable; see the affected-products list for the exact versions.
How do I fix CVE-2016-9966?: 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-2016-9966 published?: CVE-2016-9966 was published on 2016-12-16 and last updated on 2026-06-17.

References

Affected products (4)

cpe:2.3:o:samsung:samsung_mobile:5.0:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:samsung:samsung_mobile:5.1:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:samsung:samsung_mobile:6.0:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:samsung:samsung_mobile:7.0:*:*:*:*:*:*:*

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Other CWE-388 vulnerabilities

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CVE-2017-5401 — Critical (CVSS 9.8): A crash triggerable by web content in which an "ErrorResult" references unassigned memory due to a logic error. The…
CVE-2016-10466 — Critical (CVSS 9.8): In Android before 2018-04-05 or earlier security patch level on Qualcomm Snapdragon Mobile and Snapdragon Wear MDM9206,…
CVE-2016-10414 — Critical (CVSS 9.8): In Android before 2018-04-05 or earlier security patch level on Qualcomm Small Cell SoC, Snapdragon Automobile,…
CVE-2015-9120 — Critical (CVSS 9.8): In Android before 2018-04-05 or earlier security patch level on Qualcomm Snapdragon Automobile, Snapdragon Mobile, and…
CVE-2014-9985 — Critical (CVSS 9.8): In Android before 2018-04-05 or earlier security patch level on Qualcomm Snapdragon Mobile MDM9635M, SD 400, and SD…

Browse all CWE-388 vulnerabilities →