CVE-2016-4303

Name: CVE-2016-4303
Creator: NVD / NIST
Published: 2016-09-26T14:59:01.553+00:00
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/

CRITICALCVSS 9.8/10EPSS 6.83%

Last modified Jun 17, 2026

CVE-2016-4303 is a critical-severity vulnerability rated 9.8/10 on the CVSS scale. The parse_string function in cjson.c in the cJSON library mishandles UTF8/16 strings, which allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (crash) or execute arbitrary code via a non-hex character in a JSON string, which triggers a heap-based buffer overflow.. EPSS estimates a 6.83% chance of exploitation in the next 30 days.

Description

The parse_string function in cjson.c in the cJSON library mishandles UTF8/16 strings, which allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (crash) or execute arbitrary code via a non-hex character in a JSON string, which triggers a heap-based buffer overflow.

Metrics

CVSS 3.1

9.8/10

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

EPSS Probability

6.83%

93.2th percentile

Probability of exploitation in the next 30 days. Learn more

Weakness Enumeration

CWE-120

Affected Software

Vendor	Product	Versions
Es	Iperf3	>= 3.0, < 3.0.12
Es	Iperf3	>= 3.1, < 3.1.3
Novell	Suse Package Hub For Suse Linux Enterprise	12
Opensuse	Leap	42.1
Opensuse	Opensuse	13.2
Debian	Debian Linux	8.0

References

http://blog.talosintel.com/2016/06/esnet-vulnerability.htmlExploit, Third Party Advisory
http://lists.opensuse.org/opensuse-updates/2016-08/msg00082.htmlMailing List, Third Party Advisory
http://lists.opensuse.org/opensuse-updates/2016-08/msg00090.htmlMailing List, Third Party Advisory
http://software.es.net/iperf/news.html#security-issue-iperf-3-1-3-iperf-3-0-12-releasedRelease Notes, Third Party Advisory
http://www.talosintelligence.com/reports/TALOS-2016-0164/Exploit, Third Party Advisory
https://github.com/esnet/iperf/commit/91f2fa59e8ed80dfbf400add0164ee0e508e412aPatch, Third Party Advisory
https://lists.debian.org/debian-lts-announce/2020/01/msg00023.htmlMailing List, Third Party Advisory
https://raw.githubusercontent.com/esnet/security/master/cve-2016-4303/esnet-secadv-2016-0001.txt.ascThird Party Advisory
http://blog.talosintel.com/2016/06/esnet-vulnerability.htmlExploit, Third Party Advisory
http://lists.opensuse.org/opensuse-updates/2016-08/msg00082.htmlMailing List, Third Party Advisory
http://lists.opensuse.org/opensuse-updates/2016-08/msg00090.htmlMailing List, Third Party Advisory
http://software.es.net/iperf/news.html#security-issue-iperf-3-1-3-iperf-3-0-12-releasedRelease Notes, Third Party Advisory
http://www.talosintelligence.com/reports/TALOS-2016-0164/Exploit, Third Party Advisory
https://github.com/esnet/iperf/commit/91f2fa59e8ed80dfbf400add0164ee0e508e412aPatch, Third Party Advisory
https://lists.debian.org/debian-lts-announce/2020/01/msg00023.htmlMailing List, Third Party Advisory
https://raw.githubusercontent.com/esnet/security/master/cve-2016-4303/esnet-secadv-2016-0001.txt.ascThird Party Advisory

Timeline

Published: Sep 26, 2016
Last Modified: Jun 17, 2026
Status: Modified

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2016-4303?

How severe is CVE-2016-4303?

CVE-2016-4303 has a CVSS score of 9.8/10 (CRITICAL severity). The EPSS model estimates a 6.83% probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.

How do I fix CVE-2016-4303?

Check the vendor references and advisories linked above for patched versions and mitigation guidance. You can also run a Strix scan to test if your systems are affected.

Are you affected by CVE-2016-4303?

Run a free Strix scan to check your systems for this vulnerability.

Scan your code now

Source: NVD / NIST