Buffer overflow in Trn Threaded Usenet News Reader
CVE-2016-20042
TRN 3.6-23 contains a stack buffer overflow vulnerability that allows local attackers to execute arbitrary code by supplying an oversized argument to the application. Attackers can craft a malicious command-line argument with 156 bytes of padding followed by a return address to overwrite the instruction pointer and execute shellcode with user privileges.
Vulnerability class: Buffer Overflow
EPSS: 0.001 (4.2th percentile) — read the EPSS interpretation.
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.
Affected products
- Trn Threaded Usenet News Reader — versions 3.6-23
Weakness classification (CWE)
References
- disclosure@vulncheck.com (exploit)
- disclosure@vulncheck.com (product)
- disclosure@vulncheck.com (third-party-advisory)
Frequently asked questions
- What is CVE-2016-20042?
- CVE-2016-20042 is a high-severity vulnerability in Trn Threaded Usenet News Reader, classified under Out-of-bounds Write. CVSS score: 8.4/10. Published 2026-03-28.
- How severe is CVE-2016-20042?
- High severity. CVSS v3 base score is 8.4 out of 10.