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.net FrameworkApplication · Microsoft

CVE-2016-0132

CRITICAL · 9.8 CVSS v3.0 Published 2016-03-09
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
100/100
Remediation priority · Urgent
Remotely reachable No privileges Zero-click

Official description Straight from the sourceThe vendor's or NVD's own wording, published unedited. Authoritative, but often terse — it says what broke, rarely what to do.

NVD · unedited
Microsoft .NET Framework 2.0 SP2, 3.0 SP2, 3.5, 3.5.1, 4.5.2, 4.6, and 4.6.1 mishandles signature validation for unspecified elements of XML documents, which allows remote attackers to spoof signatures via a modified document, aka ".NET XML Validation Security Feature Bypass."

Technical summary Written by usOur analysis, written from the advisory, the CVSS vector and the affected-version data. It adds context the advisory leaves out, and never invents facts that are not in the source.

dbcve analysis · high confidence

Microsoft .NET Framework contains a vulnerability in XML digital signature validation where certain XML document elements are not properly validated, allowing attackers to modify document content while maintaining apparently valid digital signatures. This enables signature spoofing attacks on XML-based communications, transactions, or documents relying on XML signatures for integrity verification.

MitigationApply Microsoft security update MS16-035 (or subsequent cumulative updates) to patch all affected .NET Framework installations (2.0 SP2 through 4.6.1) across the environment. Prioritize systems processing untrusted XML input or relying on XML digital signatures for security decisions.

Verify against the referenced sources before acting — the references below are authoritative for this CVE, this summary is not.

Affected products & versions What the vendor confirmedThe version ranges the vendor confirmed as vulnerable. If your version sits inside a range here, treat yourself as exposed until you have upgraded.

NVD · CPE data
.net FrameworkApplication
Affected:= 2.0= 3.0= 3.5= 3.5.1= 4.5.2= 4.6= 4.6.1

CVSS breakdown How the score is builtThe industry scoring standard. It rates how the flaw is reached, what it takes to exploit, and what an attacker gains — the score is derived from those, not the other way round.

From the vector
Attack vector
Network
Complexity
Low
Privileges
None
User interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

Am I affected? How to checkSteps we derive from the advisory and the affected-version data, so you can decide whether this CVE reaches your setup. They are a guide, not a scan — your own configuration is the authority.

dbcve checks

Work through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.

  1. Identify installed .NET Framework version
    Check the Windows registry key HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\NET Framework Setup\NDP\v{version}\Release for each major version (2.0, 3.0, 3.5, 3.5.1, 4.5.2, 4.6, 4.6.1), or run 'Get-ItemProperty HKLM:\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\NET Framework Setup\NDP\* | Where-Object {$_.PSChildName -Match '^(?!S)\p{L}'} | Select-Object PSChildName, Release' via PowerShell
    Affected if The installed version matches 2.0, 3.0, 3.5, 3.5.1, 4.5.2, 4.6, or 4.6.1 exactly (without the corresponding security update MS16-035 applied)
  2. Determine if XML digital signature validation is in use
    Search application source code for usage of System.Security.Cryptography.Xml.SignedXml class, or inspect running applications for references to XmlDigitalSignature, or review configuration files for custom XML signature handling implementations
    Affected if The environment processes XML documents that rely on System.Security.Cryptography.Xml or similar libraries for signature verification
  3. Verify if MS16-035 patch is applied
    Check for installed security update KB3141780 (for .NET Framework 4.6.1), KB3141781 (for 4.6), KB3141782 (for 4.5.2), KB3141783 (for 3.5.1), or KB3141784 (for 3.5, 3.0, 2.0 SP2) via 'Get-HotFix' PowerShell command or Windows Update history
    Affected if The security update corresponding to the installed .NET Framework version is NOT listed among installed hotfixes

The system is affected if it runs any of .NET Framework versions 2.0, 3.0, 3.5, 3.5.1, 4.5.2, 4.6, or 4.6.1 WITHOUT the corresponding MS16-035 security update AND processes untrusted XML input using XML digital signature validation.

Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.

Check your environment

Paste your version and any relevant configuration and it will be compared against the affected criteria above. Do not include secrets or credentials.

AI-assisted, checked against the advisory. Informational, not a guarantee.

Remediation Closing itWhat it takes to close this. Where a vendor fix exists we point at it; where none exists we say so plainly, and can build one. Effort estimates are scoped from the advisory, not from your codebase.

dbcve · scoped
Mitigation available No clean upgrade yet — mitigate in the meantime
Mitigation

Apply Microsoft security update MS16-035 (or subsequent cumulative updates) to patch all affected .NET Framework installations (2.0 SP2 through 4.6.1) across the environment. Prioritize systems processing untrusted XML input or relying on XML digital signatures for security decisions.

Recommended fix High confidence

Apply Microsoft Security Bulletin MS16-035 patches (KB3142021 through KB3142024 depending on version)

  1. Identify the installed .NET Framework version(s) on the system by checking the Windows registry under HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\NET Framework Setup\NDP\v{version}\Release
  2. For .NET Framework 2.0 SP2: Apply the patch from Microsoft Security Bulletin MS16-035 (KB3142021)
  3. For .NET Framework 3.0 SP2: Apply the patch from MS16-035 (KB3142022)
  4. For .NET Framework 3.5: Apply the patch from MS16-035 (KB3142023)
  5. For .NET Framework 3.5.1: Apply the patch from MS16-035 (KB3142024)
  6. If also running .NET Framework 4.5.2, 4.6, or 4.6.1 (as noted in the official description), apply the corresponding patches from MS16-035
  7. Restart the system after applying the updates
  8. Verify the patches are installed by checking Windows Update history or the registry for the installed KB numbers
Caveat Patches are cumulative and should not introduce breaking changes; however, test in non-production environment first to ensure XML signature validation behavior changes do not affect existing applications

Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.

Fix this in .net Framework Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation4.0 h
  • Implementation8.0 h
  • Testing6.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
20.0 hours of engineering $3,500
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Scan for this in your stack

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References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.

Primary sources

Practitioner notes

Contributed

Peer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2016-0132 in production — separate from our analysis above.

No notes yet

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What this is

A place for practitioners to share what actually worked: a mitigation you’ve tested, a configuration change, a version- or environment-specific caveat, or a link to a verified patch. The most useful notes rise to the top as peers upvote them, so the signal stays high.

What belongs here
  • Verified mitigations, workarounds, and config changes
  • Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
  • No weaponised exploit code, or anything meant to cause harm
  • No spam, self-promotion, credentials, or personal data