CVE-2016-10087
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 · uneditedThe png_set_text_2 function in libpng 0.71 before 1.0.67, 1.2.x before 1.2.57, 1.4.x before 1.4.20, 1.5.x before 1.5.28, and 1.6.x before 1.6.27 allows context-dependent attackers to cause a NULL pointer dereference vectors involving loading a text chunk into a png structure, removing the text, and then adding another text chunk to the structure.
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 confidenceA NULL pointer dereference vulnerability exists in libpng's png_set_text_2 function across versions 0.71, 1.2.x, 1.4.x, 1.5.x, and 1.6.x before their respective patched releases. The vulnerability is triggered when a text chunk is loaded into a png structure, removed, and then another text chunk is added, leading to the NULL dereference.
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= 0.8= 0.71= 0.81= 0.82= 0.85= 0.86= 0.87= 0.88= 0.89= 0.89c= 0.90= 0.95CVSS 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
- None
- Integrity
- None
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/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 checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Identify installed libpng versionRun `png --version` or `pkg-config --modversion libpng`, or inspect the library file with `strings /usr/lib/x86_64-linux-gnu/libpng.so.* | grep -i 'libpng version'`Affected if Version is 0.71, 0.81, 0.82, 0.85, 0.86, 0.87, 0.88, 0.89, 0.89c, 0.90, 0.95, or any 1.2.x/1.4.x/1.5.x/1.6.x version before 1.2.57/1.4.20/1.5.28/1.6.27 respectively
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Find binaries or applications linked to libpngRun `ldd <binary> | grep libpng` on suspected applications, or use `find /usr -name '*.so*' -exec ldd {} \; 2>/dev/null | grep libpng` to list linked binariesAffected if Any application is dynamically linked to a vulnerable libpng version
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Check for static linking of vulnerable libpngInspect application binaries with `nm <binary> | grep png` or `readelf -d <binary> | grep png` to identify static libpng usage, then determine the library version used at compile time from build artifacts or sourceAffected if Applications were compiled against a vulnerable static libpng version
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Verify the specific vulnerable code path is reachableReview application source code or binary behavior for the sequence: png_read_chunk followed by png_text_compress removal and png_text_-compress add operations, as the NULL dereference occurs when text chunks are loaded, removed, then another is addedAffected if The application performs the specific text chunk load-remove-add sequence that triggers the NULL pointer dereference in png_set_text_2
You are affected if your installed libpng version falls within the vulnerable ranges (0.71, 0.81-0.95, or 1.2.x/1.4.x/1.5.x/1.6.x before their respective patch releases) AND an application using libpng performs the text chunk manipulation sequence that triggers the flaw.
Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.
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.
From vendor dataUpdate libpng to version 1.0.67, 1.2.57, 1.4.20, 1.5.28, or 1.6.27 or later to obtain the patched library. Recompile any applications statically linking the vulnerable libpng versions.
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation2.0 h
- Testing3.0 h
- Review / QA1.0 h
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Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2016-10087 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.
References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.
Primary sourcesPractitioner notes
ContributedPeer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2016-10087 in production — separate from our analysis above.
The advisory tells you what broke. It rarely tells you what actually worked. If you’ve dealt with this one, that detail is what the next engineer is searching for.
- The version that genuinely resolved it — not the one the vendor claimed
- A config change or rule that shut the vector down
- A gotcha in the upgrade path that cost you an afternoon
No notes yet
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- Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
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