Enterprise Linux DesktopOperating system · Redhat
CVE-2016-9446
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 vmnc decoder in the gstreamer does not initialize the render canvas, which allows remote attackers to obtain sensitive information as demonstrated by thumbnailing a simple 1 frame vmnc movie that does not draw to the allocated render canvas.
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 confidenceThe vmnc decoder in GStreamer fails to initialize the render canvas before use, leaving previously allocated memory content (potentially sensitive data from other processes) exposed. When processing a vmnc file that doesn't fully draw to the canvas, the uninitialized memory is captured and can be exfiltrated through thumbnail generation.
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
Enterprise Linux DesktopOperating system
= 7.0
Enterprise Linux EusOperating system
= 7.4= 7.5= 7.6= 7.7
Enterprise Linux ServerOperating system
= 7.0
Enterprise Linux Server AusOperating system
= 7.4= 7.6= 7.7
Enterprise Linux Server TusOperating system
= 7.6= 7.7
Enterprise Linux WorkstationOperating system
= 7.0
FedoraOperating system
= 35< 1.11.1CVSS 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
- None
- Availability
- None
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N
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 installed GStreamer versionRun 'gst-inspect-1.0 --version' or check the package version with 'rpm -q gstreamer1' (RHEL) or 'dnf list installed gstreamer1*' (Fedora)Affected if The installed version is less than 1.11.1 or matches the vulnerable RHEL/Fedora versions listed (7.0, 7.4-7.7, Fedora 35)
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Verify vmnc decoder plugin is presentRun 'gst-inspect-1.0 vmnc' to check if the vmnc decoder element is available on the systemAffected if The command succeeds and shows the vmnc decoder is installed (this is the affected component)
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Check for vmnc file processing capabilityRun 'gst-inspect-1.0 --plugin videotestsrc' to confirm video processing components exist, and search for vmnc files with 'find / -name "*.vmnc" 2>/dev/null'Affected if The vmnc plugin loads successfully and vmnc files exist on the system, or thumbnail generation tools that use GStreamer are in use
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Identify thumbnail generation tools using GStreamerCheck for applications that generate thumbnails from video files (such as file managers like Nautilus, Dolphin, or thumbnailers like ffmpegthumbnailer) that may invoke GStreamer to process video including vmncAffected if Thumbnail generation tools are present and process video files - these could trigger the vulnerable code path when handling vmnc content
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Confirm OS distribution and versionRun 'cat /etc/redhat-release' or 'cat /etc/fedora-release' to identify the exact OS versionAffected if The system is RHEL 7.0, 7.4, 7.5, 7.6, 7.7 or Fedora 35 as listed in affected versions
The system is affected if it runs GStreamer with the vmnc decoder (version < 1.11.1 on Fedora, or the specific RHEL versions listed) and processes vmnc files or uses thumbnail generation that could invoke the vmnc decoder, exposing uninitialized memory contents.
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 data1.11.1
Update GStreamer to a version containing the fix for this vulnerability. Ensure all systems that perform thumbnail generation or video processing with vmnc files are patched.
Fix this in Enterprise Linux Desktop
Scoped from the published advisory
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation4.0 h
- Testing4.0 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 $3,328.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2016-9446 — 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-2016-9446 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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- Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
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