CVE-2016-8886
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 · uneditedThe jas_malloc function in libjasper/base/jas_malloc.c in JasPer before 1.900.11 allows remote attackers to have unspecified impact via a crafted file, which triggers a memory allocation failure.
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 confidenceThe jas_malloc function in libjasper/base/jas_malloc.c in JasPer before 1.900.11 fails to properly handle memory allocation failures when processing a crafted file. This can lead to unspecified memory corruption or denial-of-service conditions due to improper error handling when memory allocation fails.
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<= 1.900.10CVSS 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 checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Identify if JasPer is installedRun 'jasper --version' or check for the jasper package via your system package manager (e.g., dpkg -l | grep jasper, rpm -qa | grep jasper, or brew list jasper)Affected if JasPer is installed and the version is 1.900.10 or lower, or the version cannot be determined
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Check the libjasper library versionRun 'strings libjasper.so | grep -i jasper' or check the library file metadata via 'file libjasper.so' and examine the SONAME fieldAffected if The library version resolves to 1.900.10 or earlier
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Verify the jas_malloc.c source file version if accessibleIf the source code is available, check the jas_malloc.c file for version comments or run 'git log' on the jas_malloc.c file to confirm it is from version 1.900.10 or earlierAffected if The source file version is 1.900.10 or lower, or lacks the fixed error handling code for malloc failure
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Confirm the vulnerable code path existsExamine the jas_malloc function in libjasper/base/jas_malloc.c for proper NULL pointer checking after malloc calls; look for 'if (ptr == NULL)' error handling or jas_errotenv callsAffected if The jas_malloc function lacks proper error handling for malloc failures (missing NULL checks or proper cleanup)
You are affected if JasPer or libjasper is installed at version 1.900.10 or lower, or if the jas_malloc function in your build lacks proper malloc failure handling.
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 JasPer to version 1.900.11 or later. If immediate upgrading is not feasible, implement input validation to reject suspicious or malformed JPEG-2000 files before they reach the JasPer library.
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation4.0 h
- Testing3.0 h
- Review / QA1.0 h
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 locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2016-8886 — 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-2016-8886 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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