CVE-2016-6595
** DISPUTED ** The SwarmKit toolkit 1.12.0 for Docker allows remote authenticated users to cause...
CVE-2016-6595 is a medium vulnerability (CVSS 6.5) in Docker, published January 4, 2017. Its validity is disputed. EPSS puts the chance of exploitation in the next 30 days at 2.82%, the 86th percentile.
The SwarmKit toolkit 1.12.0 for Docker allows remote authenticated users to cause a denial of service (prevention of cluster joins) via a long sequence of join and quit actions. NOTE: the vendor disputes this issue, stating that this sequence is not "removing the state that is left by old nodes. At some point the manager obviously stops being able to accept new nodes, since it runs out of memory. Given that both for Docker swarm and for Docker Swarmkit nodes are required to provide a secret token (it's actually the only mode of operation), this means that no adversary can simply join nodes and exhaust manager resources. We can't do anything about a manager running out of memory and not being able to add new legitimate nodes to the system. This is merely a resource provisioning issue, and definitely not a CVE worthy vulnerability.
Attack profile
How easy it is to exploit
- Attack vector
- Network
- Complexity
- Low
- Privileges needed
- Low
- User interaction
- None
What an attacker can affect
- Confidentiality
- None
- Integrity
- None
- Availability
- High
Exploit likelihood
What each source reports
NVD Score used
6.5
The SwarmKit toolkit 1.12.0 for Docker allows remote authenticated users to cause a denial of service (prevention of cluster joins) via a long sequence of join and quit actions. NOTE: the vendor disputes this issue, stating that this sequence is not "removing the state that is left by old nodes. At some point the manager obviously stops being able to accept new nodes, since it runs out of memory. Given that both for Docker swarm and for Docker Swarmkit nodes are required to provide a secret token (it's actually the only mode of operation), this means that no adversary can simply join nodes and exhaust manager resources. We can't do anything about a manager running out of memory and not being able to add new legitimate nodes to the system. This is merely a resource provisioning issue, and definitely not a CVE worthy vulnerability.
- Record
CVE-2016-6595- CVSS 3.0
- 6.5 Medium
CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H - CVSS 2.0
- 4.0 Medium
AV:N/AC:L/Au:S/C:N/I:N/A:P - Weakness
- CWE-399
- Updated
- 2026-11-02
CVE List No score
The SwarmKit toolkit 1.12.0 for Docker allows remote authenticated users to cause a denial of service (prevention of cluster joins) via a long sequence of join and quit actions. NOTE: the vendor disputes this issue, stating that this sequence is not "removing the state that is left by old nodes. At some point the manager obviously stops being able to accept new nodes, since it runs out of memory. Given that both for Docker swarm and for Docker Swarmkit nodes are required to provide a secret token (it's actually the only mode of operation), this means that no adversary can simply join nodes and exhaust manager resources. We can't do anything about a manager running out of memory and not being able to add new legitimate nodes to the system. This is merely a resource provisioning issue, and definitely not a CVE worthy vulnerability.
- Record
CVE-2016-6595- Updated
- 2026-11-02
EUVDEUVD-2016-7513 No score
The SwarmKit toolkit 1.12.0 for Docker allows remote authenticated users to cause a denial of service (prevention of cluster joins) via a long sequence of join and quit actions. NOTE: the vendor disputes this issue, stating that this sequence is not "removing the state that is left by old nodes. At some point the manager obviously stops being able to accept new nodes, since it runs out of memory. Given that both for Docker swarm and for Docker Swarmkit nodes are required to provide a secret token (it's actually the only mode of operation), this means that no adversary can simply join nodes and exhaust manager resources. We can't do anything about a manager running out of memory and not being able to add new legitimate nodes to the system. This is merely a resource provisioning issue, and definitely not a CVE worthy vulnerability.
- Record
EUVD-2016-7513- Updated
- 2026-11-03
GitHub AdvisoriesGHSA-669g-g3v8-296m
6.5
** DISPUTED ** The SwarmKit toolkit 1.12.0 for Docker allows remote authenticated users to cause...
** DISPUTED ** The SwarmKit toolkit 1.12.0 for Docker allows remote authenticated users to cause a denial of service (prevention of cluster joins) via a long sequence of join and quit actions. NOTE: the vendor disputes this issue, stating that this sequence is not "removing the state that is left by old nodes. At some point the manager obviously stops being able to accept new nodes, since it runs out of memory. Given that both for Docker swarm and for Docker Swarmkit nodes are required to provide a secret token (it's actually the only mode of operation), this means that no adversary can simply join nodes and exhaust manager resources. We can't do anything about a manager running out of memory and not being able to add new legitimate nodes to the system. This is merely a resource provisioning issue, and definitely not a CVE worthy vulnerability."
- Record
GHSA-669g-g3v8-296m- CVSS 3.0
- 6.5 Medium
CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H - Updated
- 2026-11-02
OSV
6.5
The SwarmKit toolkit 1.12.0 for Docker allows remote authenticated users to cause a denial of service (prevention of cluster joins) via a long sequence of join and quit actions. NOTE: the vendor disputes this issue, stating that this sequence is not "removing the state that is left by old nodes. At some point the manager obviously stops being able to accept new nodes, since it runs out of memory. Given that both for Docker swarm and for Docker Swarmkit nodes are required to provide a secret token (it's actually the only mode of operation), this means that no adversary can simply join nodes and exhaust manager resources. We can't do anything about a manager running out of memory and not being able to add new legitimate nodes to the system. This is merely a resource provisioning issue, and definitely not a CVE worthy vulnerability.
- Record
CVE-2016-6595- CVSS 3.0
- 6.5 Medium
CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H - Updated
- 2026-11-02
Affected products
History
| When | Changed | Sources |
|---|---|---|
| 2026-11-03 | aliases | EUVD |
| 2026-11-02 | created | CVE List, GitHub Advisories, NVD, OSV |