dbcve.org
OpenSSLFramework / library

CVE-2016-2182

CRITICAL · 9.8 CVSS v3.0 Published 2016-09-16
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
The BN_bn2dec function in crypto/bn/bn_print.c in OpenSSL before 1.1.0 does not properly validate division results, which allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (out-of-bounds write and application crash) or possibly have unspecified other impact via unknown vectors.

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

A memory corruption vulnerability exists in OpenSSL versions before 1.1.0 within the BN_bn2dec function used for converting big numbers to decimal representation. The function fails to properly validate division results, allowing an out-of-bounds write that can be triggered remotely without authentication, leading to denial of service or potentially remote code execution.

MitigationUpgrade OpenSSL to version 1.1.0 or later to obtain the patched BN_bn2dec function with proper division result validation.

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
OpenSSLFramework / library
Affected:= 1.0.1= 1.0.1a= 1.0.1b= 1.0.1c= 1.0.1d= 1.0.1e= 1.0.1f= 1.0.1g= 1.0.1h= 1.0.1i= 1.0.1j= 1.0.1k
LinuxOperating system
Affected:= 5= 6= 7
Icewall Federation AgentApplication
Affected:= 3.0
Icewall McrpApplication
Affected:= 3.0
Icewall SsoApplication
Affected:= 10.0
Icewall Sso Agent OptionApplication
Affected:= 10.0

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. Check OpenSSL version
    Run 'openssl version' to display the installed OpenSSL version
    Affected if The version shown is 1.0.1 through 1.0.1k, or any version before 1.1.0
  2. Check OpenSSL package on Linux systems
    On RHEL/CentOS/Oracle Linux, run 'rpm -qa | grep -i openssl' to list installed OpenSSL packages
    Affected if The package version begins with openssl-1.0.1 and ends with a letter between a and k
  3. Check for vulnerable OpenSSL library files
    Run 'find /usr -name 'libssl*' -exec strings {} \; | grep 'OpenSSL 1\\.0\\.1' 2>/dev/null' to locate library version strings
    Affected if Libraries show version 1.0.1x where x is a through k
  4. Verify Oracle Linux patch level
    Run 'uname -r' and check for kernel version, then run 'rpm -qa --changelog openssl | head -20' to see patch history
    Affected if OpenSSL patches for CVE-2016-2182 are not listed in the changelog
  5. Check HP Icewall product versions
    For Icewall Federation Agent, Mcrp, SSO, or SSO Agent Option, consult the product documentation or run version commands specific to each component
    Affected if The installed Icewall component version matches 3.0 or 10.0 as listed in affected versions

You are affected if your OpenSSL installation is version 1.0.1 through 1.0.1k, or if you run Oracle Linux 5/6/7 or HP Icewall products at versions 3.0 or 10.0 without vendor patches for this CVE.

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

Upgrade OpenSSL to version 1.1.0 or later to obtain the patched BN_bn2dec function with proper division result validation.

Recommended fix High confidence

OpenSSL 1.1.0 or later (or 1.0.2u for systems requiring 1.0.x branch support)

  1. Identify the OpenSSL version currently installed on the system using 'openssl version' or checking package manager
  2. For Linux systems with vulnerable OpenSSL: apply vendor-supplied patches or upgrade OpenSSL to a supported version (1.0.2u or later for the 1.0.x branch, or 1.1.0 or later)
  3. For Icewall products (Federation Agent 3.0, Mcrp 3.0, SSO 10.0, SSO Agent Option 10.0): contact Oracle (Icewall vendor) for vendor-specific patches as these products bundle vulnerable OpenSSL versions
  4. After patching, verify the fix by running 'openssl version' to confirm the patched version is in use
  5. Restart any services that depend on OpenSSL to ensure the patched library is loaded
Caveat Upgrading OpenSSL may require recompiling applications that link against it; OpenSSL 1.1.0 introduced API changes and binary incompatibility with earlier versions

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

Fix this in OpenSSL Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation4.0 h
  • Implementation8.0 h
  • Testing12.0 h
  • Review / QA4.0 h
28.0 hours of engineering $4,760
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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-2016-2182 in production — separate from our analysis above.

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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