CVE-2016-6884
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 · uneditedTLS cipher suites with CBC mode in TLS 1.1 and 1.2 in MatrixSSL before 3.8.3 allow remote attackers to cause a denial of service (out-of-bounds read) via a crafted message.
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 confidenceMatrixSSL before version 3.8.3 contains an out-of-bounds read vulnerability in the TLS 1.1 and 1.2 implementation when using CBC mode cipher suites. A remote attacker can send a specially crafted TLS message to trigger the out-of-bounds read, causing a denial of service condition.
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<= 3.8.2CVSS 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 checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Identify MatrixSSL installation and versionLocate the MatrixSSL library files and check the version information. Common locations include /usr/lib/, /usr/local/lib/, or within application directories. Check for files named libmatrixssl.so, matrixssl.dll, or similar. Use 'strings' on the library or check version metadata if available.Affected if MatrixSSL version is 3.8.2 or earlier (versions prior to 3.8.3)
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Determine if TLS 1.1 or TLS 1.2 is enabledReview the application or server configuration that uses MatrixSSL. Look for configuration files or settings that specify enabled TLS protocol versions. Check for parameters like 'TLSv1.1', 'TLSv1.2', or 'tls_version_min/max'.Affected if TLS 1.1 or TLS 1.2 is enabled in the configuration
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Check if CBC mode cipher suites are configuredExamine the cipher suite configuration. Look for CBC-mode ciphers such as AES-CBC, DES-CBC, or 3DES in the enabled cipher list. Common configuration directives include 'ciphers', 'cipher_list', or 'cipher_suites' settings.Affected if CBC mode cipher suites (e.g., AES-256-CBC, AES-128-CBC, DES-CBC, 3DES-EDE-CBC) are enabled for TLS 1.1 or 1.2
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Verify application uses MatrixSSL for TLSIdentify processes or applications that link against MatrixSSL. Use commands like 'ldd' on Linux or dependency walkers on Windows to see if the application loads libmatrixssl. Check application documentation or build configurations.Affected if The application dynamically or statically links to MatrixSSL and handles TLS connections
The environment is affected if MatrixSSL version 3.8.2 or earlier is in use AND TLS 1.1 or TLS 1.2 is enabled with CBC mode cipher suites configured.
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 MatrixSSL to version 3.8.3 or later to resolve the vulnerability. If immediate upgrading is not possible, consider disabling CBC mode cipher suites in TLS 1.1 and 1.2 configurations as a temporary workaround.
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation4.0 h
- Testing6.0 h
- Review / QA2.0 h
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Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2016-6884 — 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-2016-6884 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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