dbcve.org
PotraceApplication · Potrace Project

CVE-2016-8700

HIGH · 7.8 CVSS v3.0 Published 2017-01-31
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to after 1.12 or later.
See remediation →
81/100
Remediation priority · High
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
Heap-based buffer overflow in the bm_readbody_bmp function in bitmap_io.c in potrace before 1.13 allows remote attackers to have unspecified impact via a crafted BMP image, a different vulnerability than CVE-2016-8698, CVE-2016-8699, CVE-2016-8701, CVE-2016-8702, and CVE-2016-8703.

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 confidence

Heap-based buffer overflow in potrace's bm_readbody_bmp function in bitmap_io.c allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code via crafted BMP images in versions before 1.13.

MitigationUpdate potrace to version 1.13 or later to patch the heap overflow; if update is not feasible, implement strict input validation on BMP files before processing or sandbox BMP parsing.

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
PotraceApplication
Affected:<= 1.12

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
Local
Complexity
Low
Privileges
None
User interaction
Required
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

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

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

  1. Identify potrace installation
    Run 'potrace --version' or check package manager (dpkg -l potrace, rpm -q potrace)
    Affected if Version returned is 1.12 or lower, or potrace is not found but used by other software
  2. Locate potrace binary and library
    Check common paths: /usr/bin/potrace, /usr/local/bin/potrace, or if linked as a library by other applications using 'ldd' or 'ldconfig -p'
    Affected if Potrace binary or library exists and version cannot be determined or is <=1.12
  3. Verify BMP processing capability
    Check if potrace is invoked with BMP input or if applications using potrace process BMP files. Review application logs, configs, or usage patterns for .bmp file processing
    Affected if Potrace processes BMP images and version is <=1.12
  4. Inspect source code if available
    If potrace source is present, verify bitmap_io.c contains bm_readbody_bmp function and check version in source (version.h or configure script)
    Affected if Source version is <=1.13 (vulnerable) or function exists without version patch applied

Environment is affected if potrace version 1.12 or lower is installed and processes BMP images via bm_readbody_bmp function in bitmap_io.c

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 1.12
Interim mitigation

Update potrace to version 1.13 or later to patch the heap overflow; if update is not feasible, implement strict input validation on BMP files before processing or sandbox BMP parsing.

Fix this in Potrace Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation4.0 h
  • Testing3.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
10.0 hours of engineering $1,750
Get the upgrade done

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $2,800.

Scan for this in your stack

Free · runs locally
dbcve dependency scanner

Check whether your project pulls in CVE-2016-8700 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.

Get it on GitHub Scan in the browser

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-2016-8700 in production — separate from our analysis above.

No notes yet

Be the first to add a field note for this CVE — a mitigation you’ve verified, a version caveat, or a link to a working fix. Sign in above to contribute.

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