HOMEVULNERABILITIESCVE-2016-3984
MEDIUMPOC

CVE-2016-3984

CWE-284Published: April 8, 2016· Updated: Jun 17, 2026

5.1
CVSS v3.1

Official Description

The McAfee VirusScan Console (mcconsol.exe) in McAfee Active Response (MAR) before 1.1.0.161, Agent (MA) 5.x before 5.0.2 Hotfix 1110392 (5.0.2.333), Data Exchange Layer 2.x (DXL) before 2.0.1.140.1, Data Loss Prevention Endpoint (DLPe) 9.3 before Patch 6 and 9.4 before Patch 1 HF3, Device Control (MDC) 9.3 before Patch 6 and 9.4 before Patch 1 HF3, Endpoint Security (ENS) 10.x before 10.1, Host Intrusion Prevention Service (IPS) 8.0 before 8.0.0.3624, and VirusScan Enterprise (VSE) 8.8 before P7 (8.8.0.1528) on Windows allows local administrators to bypass intended self-protection rules and disable the antivirus engine by modifying registry keys.

NVD Source

Technical Analysis

CVE-2016-3984 requires local access, meaning attackers must already have a foothold on the target system.

Exploitation requires high privileges, which limits the exposure to scenarios where an attacker has already gained initial access.

A successful exploit results in availability disruption (denial of service), with a CVSS base score of 5.1.

A proof-of-concept (PoC) exploit exists for CVE-2016-3984. While not yet confirmed in active campaigns, the availability of PoC code increases exploitation risk substantially.

CVSS v3.1 Vector Breakdown

Exploitability
Attack VectorLocal
Attack ComplexityLow
Privileges Req.High
User InteractionNone
ScopeUnchanged
Impact
ConfidentialityNone
IntegrityLow
AvailabilityHigh
CVSS:3.0/AV:L/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:L/A:H

Affected Vendors & Products

mcafee7 product(s)
active responseagentdata exchange layerdata loss prevention endpointendpoint securityhost intrusion preventionvirusscan enterprise
Source: NVD CPE · 7 total CPE entries

Exploit & PoC Resources

POC AVAILABLEProof-of-concept code exists
Exploit-DB
Offensive Security exploit database
GitHub PoC Search
Community PoC repositories
Rapid7 / Metasploit
Metasploit module search
PacketStorm
Security advisories & exploits
NVD Detail
Official NIST entry
MITRE CVE
CVE Program entry
External links open in a new tab. Always verify in a controlled environment before use.

Official Patches & Advisories

ADVISORYhttps://kc.mcafee.com/corporate/index?page=content&id=SB10151
ADVISORYhttps://kc.mcafee.com/corporate/index?page=content&id=SB10151

All References (10)

→
http://lab.mediaservice.net/advisory/2016-01-mcafee.txtExploit
→
http://seclists.org/fulldisclosure/2016/Mar/13
→
http://www.securitytracker.com/id/1035130
→
https://kc.mcafee.com/corporate/index?page=content&id=SB10151Vendor Advisory
→
https://www.exploit-db.com/exploits/39531/Exploit
→
http://lab.mediaservice.net/advisory/2016-01-mcafee.txtExploit
→
http://seclists.org/fulldisclosure/2016/Mar/13
→
http://www.securitytracker.com/id/1035130
→
https://kc.mcafee.com/corporate/index?page=content&id=SB10151Vendor Advisory
→
https://www.exploit-db.com/exploits/39531/Exploit

Quick Facts

CVE IDCVE-2016-3984
CVSS Score5.1 / 10
SeverityMEDIUM
WeaknessCWE-284
CISA KEVNo
ExploitPOC
Affected1 vendor(s)
PublishedApr 8, 2016

Related CVEs (CWE-284)

CVE-2026-50746
10.0
CVE-2026-35308
10.0
CVE-2026-46695
10.0
CVE-2026-30966
10.0
CVE-2015-3073
10.0
CVE-2016-1038
10.0

Recommended Actions

  • →Apply vendor patches immediately
  • →Monitor CVE-2016-3984 in threat intel feeds
  • →Review IDS/IPS signatures for exploitation attempts
Data sourced from NVD (NIST), CISA KEV, and EPSS (FIRST). Analysis generated by CTIWATCH.COM. CVE data is provided under the NVD usage policy.
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