CVE-2016-6143
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 · uneditedSAP HANA DB 1.00.73.00.389160 allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code via vectors involving the audit logs, aka SAP Security Note 2170806.
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 confidenceSAP HANA Database versions prior to the fix contained a vulnerability that allowed remote attackers to execute arbitrary code through manipulation of audit logs. The vulnerability was exploitable without authentication, likely through maliciously crafted audit log entries that were improperly processed by the database, leading to code execution at the database privilege level.
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= 1.00.73.00.389160CVSS 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
- High
- Integrity
- High
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/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 installed SAP HANA versionExecute SQL query SELECT * FROM M_SYSTEM_OVERVIEW or check HANA version via HDB version command line toolAffected if Installed version is lower than 1.00.73.00.389160 (compare your version to the affected range)
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Determine if audit logging is enabledExecute SQL query SELECT * FROM M_AUDIT_POLICIES or check audit policy configuration in SAP HANA studioAffected if Audit logging is active and the system processes audit log entries from external or untrusted sources
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Verify audit log write permissionsCheck file system permissions on the SAP HANA audit log directory (typically under /usr/sap/<SID>/HDB<instance>/<host>/) and review SQL privileges granted to users for writing audit entriesAffected if Users other than SYSTEM have write access to audit log configuration or can inject entries into the audit trail
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Assess network exposure of SAP HANA servicesReview SAP HANA network listener configuration and firewall rules. Check which network interfaces and ports (e.g., 3xx15, 3xx17) are exposed to untrusted networksAffected if SAP HANA SQL port is accessible from untrusted or external networks without authentication restrictions
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Review recent audit log entries for anomaliesExamine M_AUDIT_LOG system view for unexpected or malformed audit entries, particularly around the time of potential exploitationAffected if Audit log contains entries with unusual formatting, unexpected characters, or entries referencing executables or system commands
A user is affected if their SAP HANA version is below 1.00.73.00.389160 AND audit logging is enabled AND the system is network-accessible to untrusted parties.
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 dataApply SAP Security Note 2170806 which provides the patch for this vulnerability. Ensure audit logging functionality is verified after patching, and consider network segmentation to limit exposure to untrusted networks until the patch can be deployed.
- Consultation4.0 h
- Implementation8.0 h
- Testing6.0 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 $5,600.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2016-6143 — 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-2016-6143 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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