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Security advisory

Type: advisorySources: OSVCVE: CVE-2016-4472

The overflow protection in Expat is removed by compilers with certain optimization settings, which allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (crash) or possibly execute arbitrary code via crafted XML data. NOTE: this vulnerability exists because of an incomplete fix for CVE-2015-1283 and CVE-2015-2716.

Products
Not specified
Affected versions
Not specified
Fixed versions
Not specified
CVEs
CVE-2016-4472
Confirmed fixed CVEs
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Updated in this feed
1 Nov 2026, 04:37 UTC · Revision 1

Source evidence

CVE-2016-4472

core-osv · Original source

Published 30 Jun 2016, 17:59 UTC

The overflow protection in Expat is removed by compilers with certain optimization settings, which allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (crash) or possibly execute arbitrary code via crafted XML data. NOTE: this vulnerability exists because of an incomplete fix for CVE-2015-1283 and CVE-2015-2716.

osv:CVE-2016-4472
Complete source record
{
  "id": "a42d6444e7102e545154c3f770fd49f7328d8210fbeeb61d3cce3c41a86aac98",
  "url": "https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2016-4472",
  "method": "structured",
  "payload": {
    "kind": "advisory",
    "title": "CVE-2016-4472",
    "summary": "The overflow protection in Expat is removed by compilers with certain optimization settings, which allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (crash) or possibly execute arbitrary code via crafted XML data. NOTE: this vulnerability exists because of an incomplete fix for CVE-2015-1283 and CVE-2015-2716.",
    "evidence": "osv:CVE-2016-4472",
    "products": [],
    "severity": "high",
    "structured": {
      "id": "CVE-2016-4472",
      "aliases": [
        "CVE-2016-4472",
        "PSF-2016-6"
      ],
      "metrics": [
        {
          "type": "CVSS_V3",
          "score": "CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H"
        }
      ],
      "affected": [
        {
          "ranges": [
            {
              "repo": "https://github.com/libexpat/libexpat",
              "type": "GIT",
              "events": [
                {
                  "introduced": "0"
                },
                {
                  "last_affected": "ee0adc0d9d245f4f18863c997be9a1bfeeb0a070"
                }
              ],
              "database_specific": {
                "extracted_events": [
                  {
                    "cpe": "cpe:2.3:a:libexpat_project:libexpat:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*",
                    "range": [
                      {
                        "introduced": "0"
                      },
                      {
                        "last_affected": "2.1.1"
                      }
                    ],
                    "source": "CPE_RANGE"
                  }
                ]
              }
            }
          ],
          "versions": [
            "R_2_1_1",
            "R_2_1_0",
            "R_2_0_1",
            "R_2_0_0",
            "R_1_95_8",
            "R_1_95_7",
            "R_1_95_6",
            "R_1_95_5",
            "R_1_95_4",
            "R_1_95_3",
            "R_1_95_2",
            "R_1_95_0",
            "libexpat-alpha-1",
            "start",
            "sourceforge_init",
            "jclark-orig",
            "V20000512",
            "V19991013",
            "V19990728",
            "V19990709",
            "V19990626",
            "V1_1",
            "V19990425",
            "V1990307",
            "V19990109",
            "V19981231",
            "V19981122",
            "V1_0",
            "beta4",
            "beta3",
            "beta2",
            "REC1_0"
          ],
          "database_specific": {
            "source": "https://storage.googleapis.com/cve-osv-conversion/osv-output/CVE-2016-4472.json"
          }
        },
        {
          "ranges": [
            {
              "repo": "https://github.com/python/cpython",
              "type": "GIT",
              "events": [
                {
                  "introduced": "0"
                },
                {
                  "fixed": "ca079a3ea30098aff3197c559a0e32d42dda6d84"
                },
                {
                  "introduced": "e054f452bd9118def58c18aa295662c9845e1c89"
                },
                {
                  "fixed": "17bf6b4671ec02d80ad29b278639d5307baddeb5"
                },
                {
                  "introduced": "3101b7076270756f8be699358c69c5d15ea2cc48"
                },
                {
                  "fixed": "7dc38385ce78c5c04637531c4325a83b57fbeb3a"
                },
                {
                  "introduced": "2e789a1f1d84b343a996e8654590703b5fbdd441"
                },
                {
                  "fixed": "3f568389763c205f8779ad75f2cf44ab9782608e"
                },
                {
                  "introduced": "5c4568a05a0a62b5947c55f68f9f2ecfb90a4f12"
                },
                {
                  "fixed": "5fd33b5926eb8c9352bf5718369b4a8d72c4bb44"
                }
              ],
              "database_specific": {
                "extracted_events": [
                  {
                    "cpe": "cpe:2.3:a:python:python:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*",
                    "range": [
                      {
                        "introduced": "2.7.0"
                      },
                      {
                        "fixed": "2.7.15"
                      }
                    ],
                    "source": "CPE_RANGE"
                  },
                  {
                    "cpe": "cpe:2.3:a:python:python:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*",
                    "range": [
                      {
                        "introduced": "3.3.0"
                      },
                      {
                        "fixed": "3.3.7"
                      }
                    ],
                    "source": "CPE_RANGE"
                  },
                  {
                    "cpe": "cpe:2.3:a:python:python:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*",
                    "range": [
                      {
                        "introduced": "3.4.0"
                      },
                      {
                        "fixed": "3.4.7"
                      }
                    ],
                    "source": "CPE_RANGE"
                  },
                  {
                    "cpe": "cpe:2.3:a:python:python:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*",
                    "range": [
                      {
                        "introduced": "3.5.0"
                      },
                      {
                        "fixed": "3.5.4"
                      }
                    ],
                    "source": "CPE_RANGE"
                  },
                  {
                    "cpe": "cpe:2.3:a:python:python:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*",
                    "range": [
                      {
                        "introduced": "3.6.0"
                      },
                      {
                        "fixed": "3.6.2"
                      }
                    ],
                    "source": "CPE_RANGE"
                  }
                ]
              }
            }
          ],
          "versions": [
            "v2.7.15rc1",
            "v3.3.7rc1",
            "v3.5.4rc1",
            "v3.4.7rc1",
            "v3.6.2rc2",
            "v3.6.2rc1",
            "v3.4.6",
            "v3.5.3",
            "v3.5.3rc1",
            "v3.4.6rc1",
            "v3.6.0rc1",
            "v2.7.13rc1",
            "v3.6.0b4",
            "v3.6.0b3",
            "v3.6.0b1",
            "v3.6.0a3",
            "v3.4.5",
            "v3.5.2",
            "v3.4.5rc1",
            "v3.5.2rc1",
            "v2.7.12rc1",
            "v3.5.1rc1",
            "v2.7.11rc1",
            "v3.5.0rc3",
            "v3.5.0rc2",
            "v3.5.0rc1",
            "v3.5.0b4",
            "v3.5.0b3",
            "v3.5.0b1",
            "v2.7.10rc1",
            "v3.5.0a4",
            "v3.5.0a3",
            "v3.5.0a2",
            "v3.4.3",
            "v3.5.0a1",
            "v3.4.3rc1",
            "v2.7.9rc1",
            "v3.3.6",
            "v3.3.6rc1",
            "v3.4.2rc1",
            "v2.7.8",
            "v3.4.1",
            "v3.4.1rc1",
            "v3.4.0",
            "v3.3.5rc2",
            "v3.4.0b3",
            "v3.4.0b2",
            "v3.4.0b1",
            "v3.3.3rc1",
            "v2.7.6rc1",
            "v3.4.0a4",
            "v3.4.0a3",
            "v3.4.0a2",
            "v3.4.0a1",
            "v3.3.2",
            "v2.7.5",
            "v2.7.4rc1",
            "v3.3.0",
            "v3.3.0rc3",
            "v3.3.0rc2",
            "v3.3.0rc1",
            "v3.3.0b2",
            "v3.3.0b1",
            "v3.3.0a4",
            "v3.3.0a3",
            "v3.3.0a2",
            "v2.7.3rc1",
            "v2.7.2rc1",
            "v2.7",
            "v3.2rc3",
            "v3.2rc2",
            "v3.2rc1",
            "v3.2b2",
            "v3.2b1",
            "v2.7.1",
            "v2.7.1rc1",
            "v3.2a4",
            "v3.2a3",
            "v3.2a2",
            "v3.2a1",
            "v2.7rc2",
            "v2.7rc1",
            "v2.7b2",
            "v2.7b1",
            "v2.7a4",
            "v2.7a3",
            "v2.7a2",
            "v2.7a1",
            "v3.1",
            "v3.1rc2",
            "v3.1rc1",
            "v3.1b1",
            "v3.1a2",
            "v3.1a1",
            "v3.0rc3",
            "v3.0rc2",
            "v2.6",
            "v2.6rc2",
            "v3.0rc1",
            "v2.6rc1",
            "v3.0b3",
            "v2.6b3",
            "v2.6b2",
            "v3.0b2",
            "v2.6b1",
            "v3.0b1",
            "v2.6a3",
            "v3.0a5",
            "v2.6a2",
            "v3.0a4",
            "v3.0a3",
            "v2.6a1",
            "v3.0a2",
            "v3.0a1",
            "v2.5b3",
            "v2.5b2",
            "v2.5b1",
            "v2.5a2",
            "v2.5a1",
            "v2.5a0",
            "v2.4",
            "v2.4c1",
            "v2.4b2",
            "v2.4b1",
            "v2.4a3",
            "v2.4a2",
            "v2.4a1",
            "v2.3c2",
            "v2.3c1",
            "v2.2a3",
            "v2.1",
            "v2.1c2",
            "v2.1c1",
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            "v2.1b1",
            "v2.1a2",
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            "v2.0",
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            "v1.5.2b2",
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            "v1.5.2a2",
            "v1.5.2a1",
            "v1.5.1",
            "v1.5",
            "v1.5b2",
            "v1.5b1",
            "v1.5a4",
            "v1.5a3",
            "v1.5a2",
            "v1.5a1",
            "v1.4",
            "v1.4b3",
            "v1.4b2",
            "v1.4b1",
            "v1.3",
            "v1.3b1",
            "v1.2",
            "v1.2b4",
            "v1.2b3",
            "v1.2b2",
            "v1.2b1",
            "v1.1.1",
            "v1.1",
            "v1.0.2",
            "v1.0.1",
            "v0.9.9",
            "v0.9.8"
          ],
          "database_specific": {
            "source": "https://storage.googleapis.com/cve-osv-conversion/osv-output/CVE-2016-4472.json"
          }
        }
      ],
      "modified": "2026-10-24T10:30:20.916328443Z",
      "provider": "osv",
      "references": [
        "https://kc.mcafee.com/corporate/index?page=content&id=SB10365",
        "https://security.gentoo.org/glsa/201701-21",
        "https://www.tenable.com/security/tns-2016-20",
        "https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=1344251",
        "https://sourceforge.net/p/expat/code_git/ci/f0bec73b018caa07d3e75ec8dd967f3785d71bde"
      ],
      "provider_metadata": {
        "unresolved_ranges": [
          {
            "cpes": [
              "cpe:2.3:a:mcafee:policy_auditor:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*"
            ],
            "vendor_product": "mcafee:policy_auditor",
            "extracted_events": [
              {
                "range": [
                  {
                    "fixed": "6.5.1"
                  }
                ],
                "source": "CPE_RANGE"
              }
            ]
          },
          {
            "cpes": [
              "cpe:2.3:o:canonical:ubuntu_linux:12.04:*:*:*:-:*:*:*"
            ],
            "vendor_product": "canonical:ubuntu_linux",
            "extracted_events": [
              {
                "range": [
                  {
                    "introduced": "12.04"
                  },
                  {
                    "last_affected": "12.04"
                  }
                ],
                "source": "CPE_STRING"
              }
            ]
          }
        ]
      }
    },
    "related_cves": [
      {
        "value": "CVE-2016-4472",
        "evidence": "/id"
      }
    ],
    "security_relevant": true,
    "severity_evidence": "/severity/0/score"
  },
  "source_id": "core-osv",
  "document_id": 430374,
  "published_at": "2016-06-30T17:59:04+00:00"
}