Is CVE-2016-3191 actively exploited?

No active exploitation of CVE-2016-3191 has been confirmed so far. Continue monitoring, as exploit status can change.

Can CVE-2016-3191 be exploited remotely?

Yes. CVE-2016-3191 is exploitable remotely over the network (CVSS attack vector: Network).

What is the CVSS score of CVE-2016-3191?

CVE-2016-3191 has a CVSS score of 9.8 (CRITICAL).

HOME VULNERABILITIESCVE-2016-3191

CRITICAL

CVE-2016-3191

CWE-119Published: March 17, 2016· Updated: Jun 17, 2026

9.8

CVSS v3.1

Official Description

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.

NVD Source

Technical Analysis

CVE-2016-3191 can be exploited remotely over the network without requiring physical or adjacent access, significantly expanding the attack surface for threat actors.

The vulnerability requires no privileges and no user interaction, making it a prime target for automated exploitation campaigns and worm-like propagation.

A successful exploit results in complete confidentiality breach (data exposure), full integrity compromise (data manipulation), availability disruption (denial of service), with a CVSS base score of 9.8.

From a weakness classification perspective (CWE-119): Buffer overflow vulnerabilities can lead to arbitrary code execution or denial of service by corrupting adjacent memory.