Debian LinuxOperating system · Debian
CVE-2016-3993
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 · uneditedOff-by-one error in the __imlib_MergeUpdate function in lib/updates.c in imlib2 before 1.4.9 allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (out-of-bounds read and application crash) via crafted coordinates.
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 confidenceOff-by-one error in the __imlib_MergeUpdate function in lib/updates.c in imlib2 before version 1.4.9 allows remote attackers to cause an out-of-bounds read by providing crafted coordinates, leading to denial of service via application crash.
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<= 1.4.8CVSS 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
- None
- Integrity
- None
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/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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Check if imlib2 is installedRun 'dpkg -l | grep imlib2' on Debian systems, or 'rpm -qa | grep imlib2' on RHEL-based systems, or check for the library files in /usr/lib/Affected if imlib2 is not installed on the system
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Identify the installed imlib2 versionRun 'imlib2_version' if the tool is available, or check the package manager output (e.g., 'dpkg -s libimlib2' or 'rpm -qi libimlib2')Affected if The displayed version is lower than 1.4.9 (e.g., 1.4.8 or earlier)
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Verify the library file contains the vulnerable functionCheck the imlib2 library binary for the __imlib_MergeUpdate symbol using 'nm -D /usr/lib/libimlib2.so.1 | grep MergeUpdate' or similar path to the installed libraryAffected if The symbol exists in the library (indicating the vulnerable code is present)
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Determine if applications use imlib2 for image processingSearch for applications linked against libimlib2 using 'ldd' on suspected programs or check application dependencies for imlib2 usageAffected if Applications that process untrusted image data are using imlib2 and the version is before 1.4.9
The environment is affected if imlib2 version 1.4.8 or earlier is installed AND applications use the library to process image data that could trigger the __imlib_MergeUpdate function with crafted coordinates.
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 imlib2 to version 1.4.9 or later to patch the off-by-one error in the __imlib_MergeUpdate function.
Fix this in Debian Linux
Scoped from the published advisory
- Consultation3.0 h
- Implementation2.0 h
- Testing4.0 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 $3,072.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2016-3993 — 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-2016-3993 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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