Debian LinuxOperating system · Debian
CVE-2016-2342
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 bgp_nlri_parse_vpnv4 function in bgp_mplsvpn.c in the VPNv4 NLRI parser in bgpd in Quagga before 1.0.20160309, when a certain VPNv4 configuration is used, relies on a Labeled-VPN SAFI routes-data length field during a data copy, which allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code or cause a denial of service (stack-based buffer overflow) via a crafted packet.
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 confidenceStack-based buffer overflow in Quagga bgpd's VPNv4 NLRI parser (bgp_nlri_parse_vpnv4 in bgp_mplsvpn.c). The vulnerability stems from trusting the Labeled-VPN SAFI routes-data length field without validation during data copy, allowing remote attackers to overflow a stack buffer via crafted packets and potentially execute arbitrary code.
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
Debian LinuxOperating system
= 7.0= 8.0= 0.99.24CVSS 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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Identify Quagga bgpd versionRun 'quagga -v' or 'bgpd -v' to display the installed Quagga bgpd version numberAffected if Version is 0.99.24 (or Debian-packaged versions corresponding to Quagga 0.99.24 in Debian 7.0/8.0)
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Confirm bgpd process is runningRun 'ps aux | grep bgpd' or check if port 179 (BGP) is listeningAffected if bgpd daemon is active and accepting BGP connections
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Check for VPNv4 address family configurationExamine Quagga bgpd configuration (typically in /etc/quagga/bgpd.conf) for 'address-family vpnv4' or 'address-family ipv4 vpn' under router bgp context, or check for 'neighbor X activate' commands for VPNv4 unicastAffected if VPNv4 (AFI/SAFI 1/128 or 1/65) address family is configured and enabled in BGP
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Identify MPLS VPN SAFI usageInspect BGP peer configurations for 'soft-reconfiguration inbound' or check BGP routing tables for VPNv4 routes (show ip bgp vpnv4 all in vtysh)Affected if System is using Labeled-VPN SAFI routes (VPNv4/multicast VPN) and accepting these routes from peers
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Verify BGP peer trust statusReview BGP peer configurations in bgpd.conf or use 'show ip bgp neighbors' in vtysh to list configured BGP peersAffected if BGP peers are not restricted to trusted sources (vulnerability is exploitable via crafted packets from any peer)
Affected if running Quagga bgpd version 0.99.24 AND the VPNv4/MPLS VPN address family is configured and active in BGP, with potential exposure to untrusted BGP peers.
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 dataUpgrade Quagga to version 1.0.20160309 or later. If immediate patching is not possible, restrict BGP peer access to trusted sources only as a temporary mitigation.
Fix this in Debian Linux
Scoped from the published advisory
- Consultation4.0 h
- Implementation2.0 h
- Testing8.0 h
- Review / QA2.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $4,352.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2016-2342 — 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-2016-2342 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
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