CVE-2016-6531
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 · uneditedOpen Dental 16.1 and earlier has a hardcoded MySQL root password, which allows remote attackers to obtain administrative access by leveraging access to intranet TCP port 3306. NOTE: the vendor disputes this issue, stating that the "vulnerability note ... is factually false ... there is indeed a default blank password, but it can be changed ... We recommend that users change it, each customer receives direction.
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 confidenceOpen Dental versions 16.1 and earlier contain a hardcoded MySQL root password embedded in the application, enabling remote attackers with network access to TCP port 3306 to obtain full administrative access to the database. This exposure allows complete compromise of patient data and application control.
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<= 16.1CVSS 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:3.1/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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Check Open Dental versionLocate the installed Open Dental application and determine its version number. This is typically found in the application properties, about screen, or installation directory.Affected if The installed version is 16.1 or earlier (<=16.1)
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Verify MySQL port 3306 network exposureTest if TCP port 3306 is accessible from network locations outside the local machine. Use tools like 'netstat -an | grep 3306' locally, or scan the server from an external host using nmap or similar port scanner.Affected if Port 3306 is listening and accepts connections from non-localhost addresses
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Locate embedded MySQL credentialsExamine Open Dental configuration files, XML files, or application binaries for hardcoded MySQL connection strings. Search for patterns like 'root' username and associated password values in the application installation directory.Affected if Hardcoded MySQL root credentials are found embedded in application files
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Test default MySQL root passwordAttempt to connect to the MySQL server on port 3306 using the default root username and common default passwords, or compare the configured password against known default values for Open Dental.Affected if The MySQL root password matches the default value embedded in the vulnerable application
The environment is affected if Open Dental version 16.1 or earlier is installed AND MySQL port 3306 is accessible from the network, since the hardcoded credentials can be exploited remotely.
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 dataChange the default MySQL root password immediately, restrict network access to port 3306 via firewall rules, and update to a version where the vendor has addressed this issue.
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation2.0 h
- Testing2.0 h
- Review / QA1.0 h
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Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2016-6531 — 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-2016-6531 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
- No spam, self-promotion, credentials, or personal data