CVE-2016-4512
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 · uneditedStack-based buffer overflow in ELCSimulator in Eaton ELCSoft 2.4.01 and earlier allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code via a long 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 · moderate confidenceA stack-based buffer overflow vulnerability in the ELCSimulator component of Eaton ELCSoft versions 2.4.01 and earlier allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code by sending network packets containing data that exceeds the expected buffer size, overflowing a stack-allocated buffer.
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
- 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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Locate ELCSoft installationSearch the system for ELCSoft installation directories or check program files for 'ELCSoft' or 'ELCSimulator' folders. Common paths may include C:\Program Files\Eaton\ or C:\Program Files (x86)\Eaton\ on Windows systems.Affected if ELCSoft is found installed on the system
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Determine installed ELCSoft versionCheck the version information of the ELCSimulator executable or the main ELCSoft application. Right-click the executable, select Properties, and view the Details tab for version info, or use command 'dir' to list files and look for version stamps in file metadata.Affected if The installed version is 2.4.01 or earlier, or if version information cannot be obtained but ELCSoft is present
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Verify ELCSimulator component is runningOpen Windows Task Manager or use command 'tasklist' via command prompt to check for processes related to ELCSimulator. Also check for services named 'ELCSimulator' in Windows Services console (services.msc).Affected if The ELCSimulator process or service is actively running on the system
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Check network exposure of ELCSimulator serviceUse command 'netstat -an' to list all listening ports, or use 'netsh firewall show all' to check firewall rules. Look for any ports associated with ELCSimulator or unusual listening ports on industrial protocol ports.Affected if ELCSimulator is bound to network-accessible IP addresses (0.0.0.0 or external interfaces) rather than localhost only
A system is affected if ELCSoft version 2.4.01 or earlier is installed with the ELCSimulator component enabled and exposed to 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 ELCSoft to a patched version if available; if no patch exists, restrict network access to the ELCSimulator service using firewalls or network segmentation, and monitor for exploitation attempts.
- Consultation4.0 h
- Implementation2.0 h
- Testing6.0 h
- Review / QA3.0 h
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Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2016-4512 — 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-2016-4512 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
- No weaponised exploit code, or anything meant to cause harm
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