What is CVE-2016-6890?

CVE-2016-6890 is a critical-severity vulnerability in Matrixssl, classified under Improper Restriction of Operations within the Bounds of a Memory Buffer. CVSS score: 9.8/10. Published 2017-01-05.

How severe is CVE-2016-6890?

Critical severity. CVSS v3 base score is 9.8 out of 10.

Buffer overflow in Matrixssl

CVE-2016-6890

Heap-based buffer overflow in MatrixSSL before 3.8.6 allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code via a crafted Subject Alt Name in an X.509 certificate.

Vulnerability class: Buffer Overflow

Published 2017-01-05 · last modified 2026-06-17.

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: 0.064 (93.5th percentile), scored 2026-09-29.

Low probability of exploitation in the next 30 days, but still tracked. 93rd percentile — 93.5% of CVEs in the catalogue have a lower EPSS than this one. How to read EPSS.

EPSS over last 30 days · oldest: 0.064 · newest: 0.064 · change: 0.000

Affected products

Matrixssl

Weakness classification (CWE)

CWE-119 — Improper Restriction of Operations within the Bounds of a Memory Buffer

References

github.com/matrixssl/matrixssl/blob/3-8-6-open/CHANGES.md (Patch, Third Party Advisory, Release Notes)
www.kb.cert.org/vuls/id/396440 (US Government Resource, Third Party Advisory, third-party-advisory)
www.securityfocus.com/bid/93498 (VDB Entry, Third Party Advisory, vdb-entry)
www.tripwire.com/state-of-security/security-data-protection/cyber-security/flaw… (Technical Description, Third Party Advisory)

Frequently asked questions

What is CVE-2016-6890?: CVE-2016-6890 is a critical-severity vulnerability in Matrixssl, classified under Improper Restriction of Operations within the Bounds of a Memory Buffer. CVSS score: 9.8/10. Published 2017-01-05.
How severe is CVE-2016-6890?: Critical severity. CVSS v3 base score is 9.8 out of 10.