HOMEVULNERABILITIESCVE-2016-4303
CRITICAL

CVE-2016-4303

CWE-120Published: September 26, 2016· Updated: Jun 17, 2026

9.8
CVSS v3.1

Official Description

The parse_string function in cjson.c in the cJSON library mishandles UTF8/16 strings, which allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (crash) or execute arbitrary code via a non-hex character in a JSON string, which triggers a heap-based buffer overflow.

NVD Source

Technical Analysis

CVE-2016-4303 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.

CVSS v3.1 Vector Breakdown

Exploitability
Attack VectorNetwork
Attack ComplexityLow
Privileges Req.None
User InteractionNone
ScopeUnchanged
Impact
ConfidentialityHigh
IntegrityHigh
AvailabilityHigh
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

Affected Vendors & Products

Debian1 product(s)
debian linux
es1 product(s)
iperf3
novell1 product(s)
suse package hub for suse linux enterprise
openSUSE2 product(s)
leapopensuse
Source: NVD CPE · 5 total CPE entries

Exploit & PoC Resources

NO KNOWN EXPLOITNo public exploit confirmed at this time
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

PATCHhttps://github.com/esnet/iperf/commit/91f2fa59e8ed80dfbf400add0164ee0e508e412a
PATCHhttps://github.com/esnet/iperf/commit/91f2fa59e8ed80dfbf400add0164ee0e508e412a
ADVISORYhttp://blog.talosintel.com/2016/06/esnet-vulnerability.html
ADVISORYhttp://lists.opensuse.org/opensuse-updates/2016-08/msg00082.html
ADVISORYhttp://lists.opensuse.org/opensuse-updates/2016-08/msg00090.html
ADVISORYhttp://software.es.net/iperf/news.html#security-issue-iperf-3-1-3-iperf-3-0-12-released
ADVISORYhttp://www.talosintelligence.com/reports/TALOS-2016-0164/
ADVISORYhttps://lists.debian.org/debian-lts-announce/2020/01/msg00023.html
ADVISORYhttps://raw.githubusercontent.com/esnet/security/master/cve-2016-4303/esnet-secadv-2016-0001.txt.asc
ADVISORYhttp://blog.talosintel.com/2016/06/esnet-vulnerability.html
ADVISORYhttp://lists.opensuse.org/opensuse-updates/2016-08/msg00082.html
ADVISORYhttp://lists.opensuse.org/opensuse-updates/2016-08/msg00090.html
ADVISORYhttp://software.es.net/iperf/news.html#security-issue-iperf-3-1-3-iperf-3-0-12-released
ADVISORYhttp://www.talosintelligence.com/reports/TALOS-2016-0164/
ADVISORYhttps://lists.debian.org/debian-lts-announce/2020/01/msg00023.html
ADVISORYhttps://raw.githubusercontent.com/esnet/security/master/cve-2016-4303/esnet-secadv-2016-0001.txt.asc

All References (16)

→
http://blog.talosintel.com/2016/06/esnet-vulnerability.htmlExploit · Third Party Advisory
→
http://lists.opensuse.org/opensuse-updates/2016-08/msg00082.htmlMailing List · Third Party Advisory
→
http://lists.opensuse.org/opensuse-updates/2016-08/msg00090.htmlMailing List · Third Party Advisory
→
http://software.es.net/iperf/news.html#security-issue-iperf-3-1-3-iperf-3-0-12-releasedRelease Notes · Third Party Advisory
→
http://www.talosintelligence.com/reports/TALOS-2016-0164/Exploit · Third Party Advisory
→
https://github.com/esnet/iperf/commit/91f2fa59e8ed80dfbf400add0164ee0e508e412aPatch · Third Party Advisory
→
https://lists.debian.org/debian-lts-announce/2020/01/msg00023.htmlMailing List · Third Party Advisory
→
https://raw.githubusercontent.com/esnet/security/master/cve-2016-4303/esnet-secadv-2016-0001.txt.ascThird Party Advisory
→
http://blog.talosintel.com/2016/06/esnet-vulnerability.htmlExploit · Third Party Advisory
→
http://lists.opensuse.org/opensuse-updates/2016-08/msg00082.htmlMailing List · Third Party Advisory
→
http://lists.opensuse.org/opensuse-updates/2016-08/msg00090.htmlMailing List · Third Party Advisory
→
http://software.es.net/iperf/news.html#security-issue-iperf-3-1-3-iperf-3-0-12-releasedRelease Notes · Third Party Advisory
→
http://www.talosintelligence.com/reports/TALOS-2016-0164/Exploit · Third Party Advisory
→
https://github.com/esnet/iperf/commit/91f2fa59e8ed80dfbf400add0164ee0e508e412aPatch · Third Party Advisory
→
https://lists.debian.org/debian-lts-announce/2020/01/msg00023.htmlMailing List · Third Party Advisory

Quick Facts

CVE IDCVE-2016-4303
CVSS Score9.8 / 10
SeverityCRITICAL
WeaknessCWE-120
CISA KEVNo
Affected4 vendor(s)
PublishedSep 26, 2016

Related CVEs (CWE-120)

CVE-1999-1237
10.0
CVE-2001-0554
10.0
CVE-2011-4862
10.0
CVE-2002-1337
10.0
CVE-1999-0046
10.0
CVE-1999-0385
10.0

Recommended Actions

  • →Apply vendor patches immediately
  • →Monitor CVE-2016-4303 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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