Buffer overflow in Werner Ytree
CVE-2016-20038
yTree 1.94-1.1 contains a stack-based buffer overflow vulnerability that allows local attackers to execute arbitrary code by supplying an excessively long argument to the application. Attackers can craft a malicious command-line argument containing shellcode and a return address to overwrite the stack and execute code in the application context.
Vulnerability class: Buffer Overflow
Published · last modified .
CVSS v3 metric
CVSS v3 base score 8.4 (High). Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H.
EPSS exploit prediction
EPSS: 0.002 (6.5th percentile), scored .
Very low probability of exploitation in the next 30 days; routine patching cadence is appropriate. 7th percentile — 6.5% of CVEs in the catalogue have a lower EPSS than this one. How to read EPSS.
EPSS over last 30 days · oldest: 0.002 · newest: 0.002 · change: 0.000
Affected products
- Werner Ytree — versions 1.94-1.1
Weakness classification (CWE)
References
- www.exploit-db.com/exploits/39406 (exploit)
- www.han.de/~werner/ytree.html (product)
- www.vulncheck.com/advisories/ytree-stack-based-buffer-overflow (third-party-advisory)
Frequently asked questions
- What is CVE-2016-20038?
- CVE-2016-20038 is a high-severity vulnerability in Werner Ytree, classified under Out-of-bounds Write. CVSS score: 8.4/10. Published 2026-03-28.
- How severe is CVE-2016-20038?
- High severity. CVSS v3 base score is 8.4 out of 10.