CVE-2016-3988
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 · uneditedMultiple stack-based buffer overflows in the NTP time-server interface on Meinberg IMS-LANTIME M3000, IMS-LANTIME M1000, IMS-LANTIME M500, LANTIME M900, LANTIME M600, LANTIME M400, LANTIME M300, LANTIME M200, LANTIME M100, SyncFire 1100, and LCES devices with firmware before 6.20.004 allow remote attackers to obtain sensitive information, modify data, or cause a denial of service via a crafted parameter in a POST request.
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 confidenceMultiple stack-based buffer overflow vulnerabilities exist in the NTP time-server interface of Meinberg IMS-LANTIME and LANTIME devices, along with SyncFire 1100 and LCES units. The vulnerabilities are triggered through crafted parameters in POST requests to the NTP configuration interface, allowing remote attackers to potentially read sensitive information, modify configuration data, or cause denial of service conditions.
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<= 6.0all versionsall versionsall versionsall versionsall versionsall versionsall 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
- Low
- Privileges
- None
- User interaction
- None
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- Low
- Integrity
- Low
- Availability
- Low
CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:L/A:L
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 the device modelAccess the device web interface or check the device label/documentation to confirm it is a Meinberg IMS-LANTIME, LANTIME, SyncFire 1100, or LCES unit. Look for model number markings on the hardware.Affected if The device is any of the following: IMS-LANTIME M1000, M3000, M500; LANTIME M100, M200, M300, M400; SyncFire 1100; or LCES units.
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Check the firmware versionLog into the device management interface and navigate to the firmware or system information section. Locate the displayed firmware version number.Affected if The firmware is NTP Server Firmware version 6.0 or earlier.
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Verify all versions are affectedIf the device is an IMS-LANTIME M1000, M3000, M500 or LANTIME M100, M200, M300, or M400, note that all firmware versions are affected per the advisory.Affected if The device is any of these models regardless of firmware version.
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Confirm NTP management interface accessibilityAttempt to access the NTP configuration page via the device web interface. Check if the /ntp or NTP configuration endpoint is reachable via HTTP/HTTPS.Affected if The NTP configuration interface is accessible over the network without restrictions.
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Check network exposure of management interfaceReview firewall rules or network ACLs to determine if the device management and NTP configuration ports are exposed to untrusted networks.Affected if The NTP management interface is reachable from untrusted network segments.
The environment is affected if any Meinberg IMS-LANTIME, LANTIME, SyncFire 1100, or LCES device with firmware <= 6.0 (or any version for M1000/M3000/M500/M100/M200/M300/M400) has its NTP configuration interface accessible over the network.
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 firmware on affected Meinberg devices to version 6.20.004 or later to address these buffer overflow vulnerabilities. If updating is not immediately feasible, restrict network access to the NTP management interface to trusted sources only.
- Consultation4.0 h
- Implementation4.0 h
- Testing4.0 h
- Review / QA2.0 h
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Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2016-3988 — 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-2016-3988 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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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.
- 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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