CVE-2016-4509
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 · uneditedHeap-based buffer overflow in elcsoft.exe in Eaton ELCSoft 2.4.01 and earlier allows remote authenticated users to execute arbitrary code via a crafted file.
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 · moderate confidenceHeap-based buffer overflow vulnerability in elcsoft.exe in Eaton ELCSoft versions 2.4.01 and earlier allows remote authenticated attackers to execute arbitrary code by providing a specially crafted file.
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<= 2.4.01CVSS 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
- Low
- User interaction
- None
- Scope
- Changed
- Confidentiality
- Low
- Integrity
- Low
- Availability
- Low
CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:C/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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Locate elcsoft.exe on the systemSearch for elcsoft.exe in typical installation directories such as C:\Program Files\Eaton\ELCSoft or C:\Program Files (x86)\Eaton\ELCSoft, or use 'dir /s C:\elcsoft.exe' from an elevated command promptAffected if elcsoft.exe is not found, the product is not installed and this CVE does not apply
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Check the installed ELCSoft versionRight-click elcsoft.exe, select Properties, then go to the Details tab to view the File Version. Alternatively, use PowerShell: (Get-Item 'C:\Path\To\elcsoft.exe').VersionInfo.FileVersionAffected if The file version displays as 2.4.01 or lower, indicating the installation is within the affected range
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Verify the executable version matches CVE criteriaCompare the identified version number against the affected range: versions 2.4.01 and earlier are vulnerable. The exact version string may vary (e.g., 2.4.01, 2.4.00, 2.3.x)Affected if The version is 2.4.01 or any earlier release, the environment is affected by this vulnerability
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Assess exposure to remote authenticated attackersDetermine if ELCSoft is accessible over the network or accepts connections from non-localhost sources. Check firewall rules, listening ports, and whether the application is bound to external interfacesAffected if ELCSoft is network-accessible and accepts authenticated user connections, the heap-based buffer overflow can be triggered via specially crafted files
The environment is affected if elcsoft.exe is present and its file version is 2.4.01 or earlier, especially when the application is network-accessible to authenticated users.
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 to a version newer than 2.4.01, and implement network segmentation and access controls to limit exposure to authenticated users until patching can be completed.
- Consultation3.0 h
- Implementation6.0 h
- Testing6.0 h
- Review / QA3.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $4,992.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2016-4509 — 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-2016-4509 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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