What is CVE-2016-9555?

CVE-2016-9555 is a critical-severity vulnerability in Linux Kernel, classified under Out-of-bounds Read. CVSS score: 9.8/10. Published 2016-11-28.

How severe is CVE-2016-9555?

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

Out-of-bounds Read in Linux Kernel

CVE-2016-9555

The sctp_sf_ootb function in net/sctp/sm_statefuns.c in the Linux kernel before 4.8.8 lacks chunk-length checking for the first chunk, which allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (out-of-bounds slab access) or possibly have unspecified other impact via crafted SCTP data.

Vulnerability class: Buffer Overflow

Published 2016-11-28 · last modified 2026-06-17.

CVSS v3 metric

CVSS v3 base score 9.8 (Critical). Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H.

EPSS exploit prediction

EPSS: 0.100 (95.5th percentile), scored 2026-10-02.

Moderate probability of exploitation in the next 30 days — watch for active exploitation reports. 95th percentile — 95.5% of CVEs in the catalogue have a lower EPSS than this one. How to read EPSS.

EPSS over last 30 days · oldest: 0.091 · newest: 0.100 · change: +0.009

Affected products

Linux Kernel

Weakness classification (CWE)

CWE-125 — Out-of-bounds Read

References

lists.opensuse.org/opensuse-security-announce/2016-12/msg00044.html (vendor-advisory, Mailing List, Third Party Advisory)
bto.bluecoat.com/security-advisory/sa134 (Third Party Advisory)
lists.opensuse.org/opensuse-security-announce/2016-12/msg00077.html (vendor-advisory, Mailing List, Third Party Advisory)
lists.opensuse.org/opensuse-security-announce/2016-12/msg00067.html (vendor-advisory, Mailing List, Third Party Advisory)
www.securitytracker.com/id/1037339 (VDB Entry, Third Party Advisory, vdb-entry)
lists.opensuse.org/opensuse-security-announce/2016-12/msg00056.html (vendor-advisory, Mailing List, Third Party Advisory)
lists.opensuse.org/opensuse-security-announce/2016-12/msg00073.html (vendor-advisory, Mailing List, Third Party Advisory)
github.com/torvalds/linux/commit/bf911e985d6bbaa328c20c3e05f4eb03de11fdd6 (Patch, Third Party Advisory, Issue Tracking)
www.kernel.org/pub/linux/kernel/v4.x/ChangeLog-4.8.8 (Release Notes, Vendor Advisory)
git.kernel.org/cgit/linux/kernel/git/torvalds/linux.git/commit/ (Patch, Issue Tracking, Vendor Advisory)

Frequently asked questions

What is CVE-2016-9555?: CVE-2016-9555 is a critical-severity vulnerability in Linux Kernel, classified under Out-of-bounds Read. CVSS score: 9.8/10. Published 2016-11-28.
How severe is CVE-2016-9555?: Critical severity. CVSS v3 base score is 9.8 out of 10.