CVE-2016-10656
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 · uneditedqbs is a build tool that helps simplify the build process for developing projects across multiple platforms. qbs downloads binary resources over HTTP, which leaves it vulnerable to MITM attacks. It may be possible to cause remote code execution (RCE) by swapping out the requested resources with an attacker controlled copy if the attacker is on the network or positioned in between the user and the remote server.
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 confidenceqbs, a cross-platform build tool, downloads binary resources over unencrypted HTTP, allowing attackers on the network path to intercept and modify these resources. By substituting malicious binaries for legitimate ones, an attacker can achieve remote code execution on systems building with qbs.
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 dataall versionsCVSS 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
- High
- Privileges
- None
- User interaction
- None
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- High
- Integrity
- High
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:H/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 checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Verify qbs installation existsCheck for qbs binary in common locations: which qbs (Linux/macOS) or where qbs (Windows). Also look for qbs in /usr/bin, /usr/local/bin, or Program Files directories.Affected if qbs command is found and executable on the system
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Identify qbs project files using HTTP downloadsSearch project directories for .qbs files and .pro files that may contain URL references. Use grep to search for 'http://' strings in project files: grep -r 'http://' *.qbs *.pro or search in build configuration files.Affected if Project files contain URLs starting with http:// instead of https:// for resource downloads
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Check qbs module configurations for download URLsExamine qbs module definitions and properties that specify download locations. Look in qbs source modules, plugin configurations, or custom module files that define sourceUrl properties.Affected if Module configurations specify download URLs using unencrypted HTTP protocol
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Monitor network connections during build operationsRun a qbs build while capturing network traffic (e.g., with tcpdump, Wireshark, or process network monitor) and observe if any connections use plain HTTP (port 80) to retrieve binary resources.Affected if Network traffic during qbs build operations shows connections to HTTP servers (port 80) for fetching binaries or resources
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Review build logs for download activityRun qbs build with verbose output (qbs build -v) and examine log files for URLs being accessed. Look for http:// prefixes in download-related log entries.Affected if Build logs show binary resources being downloaded from HTTP URLs
If qbs is installed and its build process retrieves binary resources over unencrypted HTTP (port 80) URLs rather than HTTPS, the environment is vulnerable to man-in-the-middle attacks allowing remote code execution.
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 dataImplement HTTPS for all resource downloads with proper TLS certificate validation, and add integrity verification (e.g., SHA-256 checksums) for downloaded binaries before execution.
- Consultation4.0 h
- Implementation8.0 h
- Testing6.0 h
- Review / QA4.0 h
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Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2016-10656 — 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-2016-10656 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
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