Buffer overflow in Pcre
CVE-2016-3191
The compile_branch function in pcre_compile.c in PCRE 8.x before 8.39 and pcre2_compile.c in PCRE2 before 10.22 mishandles patterns containing an (*ACCEPT) substring in conjunction with nested parentheses, which allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code or cause a denial of service (stack-based buffer overflow) via a crafted regular expression, as demonstrated by a JavaScript RegExp object encountered by Konqueror, aka ZDI-CAN-3542.
Vulnerability class: Buffer Overflow
Published · last modified .
CVSS v3 metric
CVSS v3 base score 9.8 (Critical). Vector: CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H.
EPSS exploit prediction
EPSS: 0.084 (95.0th percentile), scored .
Low probability of exploitation in the next 30 days, but still tracked. 95th percentile — 95.0% of CVEs in the catalogue have a lower EPSS than this one. How to read EPSS.
EPSS over last 30 days · oldest: 0.084 · newest: 0.084 · change: 0.000
Affected products
- Pcre — versions 8.00, 8.01, 8.02
- Pcre Pcre2
Weakness classification (CWE)
Public proof-of-concept exploits
References
- www.securityfocus.com/bid/84810 (vdb-entry)
- vcs.pcre.org/pcre2
- access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2016:1132 (vendor-advisory)
- www.oracle.com/technetwork/topics/security/linuxbulletinapr2016-2952096.html
- www-01.ibm.com/support/docview.wss
- rhn.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2016-1025.html (vendor-advisory)
- bugs.debian.org/815921
- bugs.debian.org/815920
- bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi
- bugs.exim.org/show_bug.cgi (Exploit)
Frequently asked questions
- What is CVE-2016-3191?
- CVE-2016-3191 is a critical-severity vulnerability in Pcre, classified under Improper Restriction of Operations within the Bounds of a Memory Buffer. CVSS score: 9.8/10. Published 2016-03-17.
- How severe is CVE-2016-3191?
- Critical severity. CVSS v3 base score is 9.8 out of 10.
- Is CVE-2016-3191 known to be exploited?
- 8 public proof-of-concept repositories are indexed. Not currently listed in the CISA KEV catalog.