CVE-2017-1000206
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 · uneditedsamtools htslib library version 1.4.0 and earlier is vulnerable to buffer overflow in the CRAM rANS codec resulting in potential arbitrary code execution
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 confidenceBuffer overflow vulnerability in the CRAM rANS codec of samtools htslib library versions 1.4.0 and earlier allows potential arbitrary code execution due to insufficient bounds checking during decompression.
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<= 1.4.0CVSS 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 htslib versionRun 'htslib --version' or 'samtools --version' to display the bundled htslib version, or check the library file metadata using 'strings' or 'file' on the installed htslib shared libraryAffected if The reported version is 1.4.0 or earlier
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Locate installed htslib librarySearch for libhts.so or libhts.dylib files on the system using 'find /usr -name "libhts*" 2>/dev/null' or check the LD_LIBRARY_PATH environment variableAffected if The library exists and its version cannot be determined or is 1.4.0 or earlier
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Verify CRAM support is compiled inRun 'samtools --version' and look for CRAM support indication, or check if the htslib was built with CRAM enabled by inspecting the configure/build outputAffected if CRAM decoding is available and the htslib version is 1.4.0 or earlier
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Check for active CRAM file processingInspect any workflows or scripts that process SAM/BAM files and identify if CRAM format files are being decompressed using samtools or htslib-based toolsAffected if CRAM files are being decoded with a vulnerable version of htslib
The environment is affected if htslib version 1.4.0 or earlier is installed and CRAM format file decompression is in use.
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 · scopedUpgrade samtools htslib library to a version newer than 1.4.0 that addresses the buffer overflow in the CRAM rANS codec.
htslib 1.4.1 or later
- 1. Identify all systems and applications using htslib library version 1.4.0 or earlier
- 2. Obtain the latest stable htslib release from the official GitHub repository (github.com/samtools/htslib)
- 3. Review the release notes for version 1.4.1 or later to confirm the CRAM rANS codec buffer overflow fix is included
- 4. Replace the vulnerable htslib library files with the new version
- 5. Rebuild and recompile any applications statically linked against the old htslib version
- 6. Restart any services or applications using htslib to load the updated library
- 7. Verify the new version is correctly loaded (e.g., 'htsfile -v' or checking library linked version)
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation1.0 h
- Testing4.0 h
- Review / QA1.0 h
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Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2017-1000206 — 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-2017-1000206 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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