CVE-2016-10402
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 · uneditedAvira Antivirus engine versions before 8.3.36.60 allow remote code execution as NT AUTHORITY\SYSTEM via a section header with a very large relative virtual address in a PE file, causing an integer overflow and heap-based buffer underflow.
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 confidenceAvira Antivirus engine versions before 8.3.36.60 contain an integer overflow vulnerability when parsing PE (Portable Executable) files with section headers containing abnormally large Relative Virtual Address (RVA) values. This flaw leads to a heap-based buffer underflow during file scanning, which can be exploited to achieve remote code execution with NT AUTHORITY\SYSTEM privileges.
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<= 8.3.36.59CVSS 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
- Local
- Complexity
- Low
- Privileges
- None
- User interaction
- Required
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- High
- Integrity
- High
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/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 checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Confirm Avira Antivirus installationLocate Avira installation directory (typically C:\Program Files\Avira\ or C:\Program Files (x86)\Avira\) or check Programs and Features in Control PanelAffected if Avira Antivirus is not installed on the system
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Identify the Avira engine versionNavigate to the Avira installation folder and locate the main scanning engine DLL (such as aedll32.dll, avengine.dll, or similar engine files), then right-click and select Properties > Details to view the File VersionAffected if The displayed file version is 8.3.36.59 or lower
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Alternative version check via Windows RegistryOpen Registry Editor and navigate to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Avira\AviraFlow\ or HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Avira\AviraDesktop\ and look for a Version or EngineVersion entryAffected if The registry value shows a version number <= 8.3.36.59
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Check Avira scan engine executable versionLocate the Avira scan service executable (such as avguard.exe or scheduledservice.exe) in the Avira installation directory, right-click and view Properties > File VersionAffected if The executable version is 8.3.36.59 or below
If Avira Antivirus is installed and the engine version is 8.3.36.59 or lower, the environment is vulnerable to CVE-2016-10402.
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 Avira Antivirus engine to version 8.3.36.60 or later to patch the integer overflow vulnerability in PE file parsing.
- Consultation1.0 h
- Implementation1.0 h
- Testing1.0 h
- Review / QA1.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $1,200.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2016-10402 — 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-2016-10402 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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- 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