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Debian LinuxOperating system · Debian

CVE-2016-6161

MEDIUM · 6.5 CVSS v3.0 Published 2016-08-12
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to after 2.2.2 or later.
See remediation →
72/100
Remediation priority · Elevated
Remotely reachable No privileges

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 · unedited
The output function in gd_gif_out.c in the GD Graphics Library (aka libgd) allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (out-of-bounds read) via a crafted image.

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 confidence

A buffer over-read vulnerability exists in the GD Graphics Library's GIF output function (gd_gif_out.c). When processing a specially crafted GIF image, the function reads beyond the allocated buffer boundaries, causing a denial of service condition. This occurs during the image output/decoding phase where boundary checks are insufficient in the gif output routine.

MitigationUpgrade libgd to the patched version that addresses this out-of-bounds read vulnerability, or apply the vendor-supplied patch to gd_gif_out.c. Additionally, implement input validation on all image uploads before processing with libgd to reject malformed GIF files.

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
Affected:= 8.0
LibgdApplication
Affected:<= 2.2.2
LeapOperating system
Affected:= 42.1

CVSS 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
Required
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
None
Integrity
None
Availability
High

CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/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 checks

Work through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.

  1. Identify installed libgd version
    Run 'dpkg -l libgd*' on Debian/Ubuntu, 'rpm -qa | grep libgd' on RHEL/SUSE, or check the library file directly with 'gdlib-config --version' if available
    Affected if The version is 2.2.2 or lower, or for Debian 8.0 if the libgd package is at or below the vulnerable version for that release
  2. Check for applications using libgd GIF functionality
    Identify software that links to libgd and processes GIF files - common tools include PHP (gd extension), ImageMagick, or custom applications using libgd
    Affected if The system runs any application that uses libgd to decode or output GIF images
  3. Inspect GIF processing code paths
    If using a custom application, search for calls to gdImageGif, gdImageGifCtx, or related GIF output functions in gd_gif_out.c
    Affected if The application calls GIF output functions from libgd to process image data
  4. Verify GIF input handling
    Review how GIF files are loaded - look for gdImageCreateFromGif or related functions that parse GIF input
    Affected if The system accepts and processes GIF files through libgd's input functions which trigger the vulnerable output routine during decoding
  5. Check system packages for vendor updates
    Run 'apt-get changelog libgd2' on Debian or 'rpm -q --changelog libgd' to see if a security fix has been applied
    Affected if No vendor security patch for CVE-2016-6161 appears in the package changelog, meaning the vulnerable code likely remains

You are affected if your system runs libgd version 2.2.2 or lower (or the vulnerable Debian 8.0/OpenSUSE Leap 42.1 packages) and processes GIF images through the library's output functions.

Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.

Check your environment

Paste your version and any relevant configuration and it will be compared against the affected criteria above. Do not include secrets or credentials.

AI-assisted, checked against the advisory. Informational, not a guarantee.

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 data
Upgrade available Upgrade to a release after 2.2.2
Interim mitigation

Upgrade libgd to the patched version that addresses this out-of-bounds read vulnerability, or apply the vendor-supplied patch to gd_gif_out.c. Additionally, implement input validation on all image uploads before processing with libgd to reject malformed GIF files.

Fix this in Debian Linux Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation3.0 h
  • Implementation6.0 h
  • Testing5.0 h
  • Review / QA3.0 h
17.0 hours of engineering $2,970
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References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.

Primary sources

Practitioner notes

Contributed

Peer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2016-6161 in production — separate from our analysis above.

No notes yet

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What this is

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.

What belongs here
  • 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
  • No spam, self-promotion, credentials, or personal data