Is CVE-2016-9553 actively exploited?

A proof-of-concept exploit is publicly available for CVE-2016-9553, but active exploitation has not been confirmed.

Can CVE-2016-9553 be exploited remotely?

Yes. CVE-2016-9553 is exploitable remotely over the network (CVSS attack vector: Network).

What is the CVSS score of CVE-2016-9553?

CVE-2016-9553 has a CVSS score of 7.2 (HIGH).

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HIGHPOC

CVE-2016-9553

CWE-77Published: January 28, 2017· Updated: Jun 17, 2026

7.2

CVSS v3.1

Official Description

The Sophos Web Appliance (version 4.2.1.3) is vulnerable to two Remote Command Injection vulnerabilities affecting its web administrative interface. These vulnerabilities occur in the MgrReport.php (/controllers/MgrReport.php) component responsible for blocking and unblocking IP addresses from accessing the device. The device doesn't properly escape the information passed in the variables 'unblockip' and 'blockip' before calling the shell_exec() function which allows for system commands to be injected into the device. The code erroneously suggests that the information handled is protected by utilizing the variable name 'escapedips' - however this was not the case. The Sophos ID is NSWA-1258.

NVD Source

Technical Analysis

CVE-2016-9553 can be exploited remotely over the network without requiring physical or adjacent access, significantly expanding the attack surface for threat actors.

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

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 7.2.

A proof-of-concept (PoC) exploit exists for CVE-2016-9553. While not yet confirmed in active campaigns, the availability of PoC code increases exploitation risk substantially.