CVE-2016-8859
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 · uneditedMultiple integer overflows in the TRE library and musl libc allow attackers to cause memory corruption via a large number of (1) states or (2) tags, which triggers an out-of-bounds write.
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 confidenceInteger overflows in the TRE library and musl libc allow attackers to trigger out-of-bounds memory writes by providing excessively large numbers of states or tags during regex processing, resulting in heap corruption and potential remote code execution.
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<= 1.1.15CVSS 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 musl libc versionRun `ldd --version` or check the libc binary with `file /lib/ld-musl-*.so.1` and look for version strings. On Alpine Linux, check `/etc/alpine-release` and review package listings with `apk list musl`Affected if The reported musl version is 1.1.15 or earlier
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Confirm TRE library is presentCheck for TRE library usage by running `ldd <binary>` on known regex-using applications, or search for libtre presence with `find /usr -name '*tre*' 2>/dev/null` and check if regex-heavy tools like grep, awk, or sed are linked against itAffected if TRE library is linked and actively used by applications processing regex patterns
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Identify regex-processing applicationsReview running processes that handle regex, particularly servers or tools that accept regex patterns from untrusted input (web applications, log processors, search utilities). Use `ps aux` and check for known regex-consuming servicesAffected if Applications processing user-supplied or externally-sourced regex patterns are running on the affected musl version
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Check for musl-based distributionIf running a musl-based system (Alpine Linux, Void Linux musl, etc.), verify the base system version and musl package version with distribution-specific commands like `apk info musl` on AlpineAffected if System runs a musl-based distribution with musl <= 1.1.15 and uses TRE-integrated regex functionality
You are affected if your system uses musl libc version 1.1.15 or earlier, has the TRE library integrated, and processes regex patterns that could trigger excessive state or tag allocations leading to integer overflow.
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.
dbcve · scopedUpdate TRE library and musl libc to versions with proper integer overflow protection and bounds checking on state/tag allocations, or implement input validation to reject regex patterns with abnormally high state or tag counts.
musl 1.1.16 or later stable release
- 1. Identify all systems and containers using musl libc version 1.1.15 or earlier
- 2. Check the current musl version by examining /etc/os-release or running: musl-gcc --version
- 3. Obtain the fixed musl release (version 1.1.16 or later) from the official musl source repository at https://www.musl-libc.org/
- 4. Rebuild all statically-linked binaries and containers that depend on musl with the patched version
- 5. Restart any services using the affected musl libraries after applying the update
- 6. Verify the patch was applied correctly by checking the musl version again
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
- 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-2016-8859 — 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-2016-8859 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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