What is CVE-2016-7916?

CVE-2016-7916 is a medium-severity vulnerability in Linux Kernel, classified under Concurrent Execution using Shared Resource with Improper Synchronization (Race Condition). CVSS score: 5.5/10. Published 2016-11-16.

How severe is CVE-2016-7916?

Medium severity. CVSS v3 base score is 5.5 out of 10.

Is CVE-2016-7916 known to be exploited?

2 public proof-of-concept repositories are indexed. Not currently listed in the CISA KEV catalog.

Vulnerability in Linux Kernel

CVE-2016-7916

Race condition in the environ_read function in fs/proc/base.c in the Linux kernel before 4.5.4 allows local users to obtain sensitive information from kernel memory by reading a /proc/*/environ file during a process-setup time interval in which environment-variable copying is incomplete.

Vulnerability class: Race Condition

Published 2016-11-16 · last modified 2026-06-17.

CVSS v3 metric

CVSS v3 base score 5.5 (Medium). Vector: CVSS:3.0/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N.

EPSS exploit prediction

EPSS: 0.004 (30.4th percentile), scored 2026-10-02.

Very low probability of exploitation in the next 30 days; routine patching cadence is appropriate. 30th percentile — 30.4% of CVEs in the catalogue have a lower EPSS than this one. How to read EPSS.

EPSS over last 30 days · oldest: 0.004 · newest: 0.004 · change: 0.000

Affected products

Linux Kernel

Weakness classification (CWE)

CWE-362 — Concurrent Execution using Shared Resource with Improper Synchronization (Race Condition)

Public proof-of-concept exploits

References

source.android.com/security/bulletin/2016-11-01.html (Third Party Advisory)
bugzilla.kernel.org/show_bug.cgi (Issue Tracking)
www.kernel.org/pub/linux/kernel/v4.x/ChangeLog-4.5.4 (Release Notes, Vendor Advisory)
www.ubuntu.com/usn/USN-3159-1 (vendor-advisory)
forums.grsecurity.net/viewtopic.php (Issue Tracking)
www.ubuntu.com/usn/USN-3159-2 (vendor-advisory)
www.securityfocus.com/bid/94138 (VDB Entry, Third Party Advisory, vdb-entry)
git.kernel.org/cgit/linux/kernel/git/torvalds/linux.git/commit/ (Patch, Third Party Advisory, Issue Tracking)
github.com/torvalds/linux/commit/8148a73c9901a8794a50f950083c00ccf97d43b3 (Patch, Third Party Advisory, Issue Tracking)

Frequently asked questions

What is CVE-2016-7916?: CVE-2016-7916 is a medium-severity vulnerability in Linux Kernel, classified under Concurrent Execution using Shared Resource with Improper Synchronization (Race Condition). CVSS score: 5.5/10. Published 2016-11-16.
How severe is CVE-2016-7916?: Medium severity. CVSS v3 base score is 5.5 out of 10.
Is CVE-2016-7916 known to be exploited?: 2 public proof-of-concept repositories are indexed. Not currently listed in the CISA KEV catalog.