CVE-2016-5180
Heap-based buffer overflow in the ares_create_query function in c-ares 1.x before 1.12.0 allows...
Heap-based buffer overflow in the ares_create_query function in c-ares 1.x before 1.12.0 allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (out-of-bounds write) or possibly execute arbitrary code via a hostname with an escaped trailing dot.
Attack profile
How easy it is to exploit
- Attack vector
- Network
- Complexity
- Low
- Privileges needed
- None
- User interaction
- None
What an attacker can affect
- Confidentiality
- High
- Integrity
- High
- Availability
- High
Exploit likelihood
What each source reports
NVD Score used
9.8
Heap-based buffer overflow in the ares_create_query function in c-ares 1.x before 1.12.0 allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (out-of-bounds write) or possibly execute arbitrary code via a hostname with an escaped trailing dot.
- Record
CVE-2016-5180- CVSS 3.1
- 9.8 Critical
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H - CVSS 2.0
- 7.5 High
AV:N/AC:L/Au:N/C:P/I:P/A:P - Weakness
- CWE-787
- Updated
- 2026-11-02
CVE List No score
Heap-based buffer overflow in the ares_create_query function in c-ares 1.x before 1.12.0 allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (out-of-bounds write) or possibly execute arbitrary code via a hostname with an escaped trailing dot.
- Record
CVE-2016-5180- Updated
- 2026-11-02
EUVDEUVD-2016-6131 No score
Heap-based buffer overflow in the ares_create_query function in c-ares 1.x before 1.12.0 allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (out-of-bounds write) or possibly execute arbitrary code via a hostname with an escaped trailing dot.
- Record
EUVD-2016-6131- Updated
- 2026-11-03
GitHub AdvisoriesGHSA-29hr-5wcr-whpc
9.8
Heap-based buffer overflow in the ares_create_query function in c-ares 1.x before 1.12.0 allows...
Heap-based buffer overflow in the ares_create_query function in c-ares 1.x before 1.12.0 allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (out-of-bounds write) or possibly execute arbitrary code via a hostname with an escaped trailing dot.
- Record
GHSA-29hr-5wcr-whpc- CVSS 3.0
- 9.8 Critical
CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H - Weakness
- CWE-787
- Updated
- 2026-11-02
OSVALPINE-CVE-2016-5180
9.8
Heap-based buffer overflow in the ares_create_query function in c-ares 1.x before 1.12.0 allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (out-of-bounds write) or possibly execute arbitrary code via a hostname with an escaped trailing dot.
- Record
ALPINE-CVE-2016-5180- CVSS 3.1
- 9.8 Critical
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H - Updated
- 2026-11-02
OSVBELL-CVE-2016-5180
9.8
CVE-2016-5180 does not affect BellSoft software
- Record
BELL-CVE-2016-5180- CVSS 3.1
- 9.8 Critical
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H - Updated
- 2026-11-02
Show 12 moreShow less
OSV
9.8
Heap-based buffer overflow in the ares_create_query function in c-ares 1.x before 1.12.0 allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (out-of-bounds write) or possibly execute arbitrary code via a hostname with an escaped trailing dot.
- Record
CVE-2016-5180- CVSS 3.1
- 9.8 Critical
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H - Updated
- 2026-11-02
OSVDEBIAN-CVE-2016-5180
9.8
Heap-based buffer overflow in the ares_create_query function in c-ares 1.x before 1.12.0 allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (out-of-bounds write) or possibly execute arbitrary code via a hostname with an escaped trailing dot.
- Record
DEBIAN-CVE-2016-5180- CVSS 3.1
- 9.8 Critical
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H - Updated
- 2026-11-02
OSVRHSA-2017:0002
7.4
Red Hat Security Advisory: rh-nodejs4-nodejs and rh-nodejs4-http-parser security update
- Record
RHSA-2017:0002- CVSS 3.0
- 7.4 High
CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:N - Updated
- 2026-11-02
OSVUBUNTU-CVE-2016-5180
9.8
Heap-based buffer overflow in the ares_create_query function in c-ares 1.x before 1.12.0 allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (out-of-bounds write) or possibly execute arbitrary code via a hostname with an escaped trailing dot.
- Record
UBUNTU-CVE-2016-5180- CVSS 3.1
- 9.8 Critical
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H - CVSS 3.0
- 9.8 Critical
CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H - Updated
- 2026-11-02
OSVCLSA-2025-1757608893 No score
c-ares: Fix of CVE-2016-5180
- CVE-2016-5180: fix heap-based buffer overflow in the ares_create_query causing DoS
- Record
CLSA-2025-1757608893- Updated
- 2026-11-02
OSVMGASA-2016-0351 No score
Updated c-ares packages fix security vulnerability
In c-ares before 1.12.0, When a string is passed in to 'ares_create_query' or 'ares_mkquery' and uses an escaped trailing dot, like "hello.", c-ares calculates the string length wrong and subsequently writes outside of the the allocated buffer with one byte. The wrongly written byte is the least significant byte of the 'dnsclass' argument; most commonly 1 (CVE-2016-5180).
- Record
MGASA-2016-0351- Updated
- 2026-11-02
OSVopenSUSE-SU-2024:10147-1 No score
libcares-devel-1.12.0-1.1 on GA media
These are all security issues fixed in the libcares-devel-1.12.0-1.1 package on the GA media of openSUSE Tumbleweed.
- Record
openSUSE-SU-2024:10147-1- Updated
- 2026-11-02
OSVopenSUSE-SU-2024:10247-1 No score
nodejs4-4.7.0-1.1 on GA media
These are all security issues fixed in the nodejs4-4.7.0-1.1 package on the GA media of openSUSE Tumbleweed.
- Record
openSUSE-SU-2024:10247-1- Updated
- 2026-11-02
OSVSUSE-SU-2016:2898-1 No score
Security update for nodejs4
This update for nodejs4 fixes the following issues:
Security issues fixed:
- CVE-2016-5180: c-ares: Fix for single-byte buffer overwrite (bsc#1007728).
Bug fixes:
- bsc#1009011: npm4 should provide versioned nodejs-npm and npm allowing nodejs-packaging to continue to function properly in Leap 42.2
- Record
SUSE-SU-2016:2898-1- Updated
- 2026-11-02
OSVSUSE-SU-2016:3286-1 No score
Security update for libcares2
This update for libcares2 fixes the following issues:
- Add patch to fix single byte out of buffer write (CVE-2016-5180, bsc#1007728)
- Record
SUSE-SU-2016:3286-1- Updated
- 2026-11-02
OSVSUSE-SU-2016:3287-1 No score
Security update for libcares2
This update for libcares2 fixes the following issues:
- Add patch to fix single byte out of buffer write (CVE-2016-5180, bsc#1007728)
- Record
SUSE-SU-2016:3287-1- Updated
- 2026-11-02
OSVUSN-3143-1 No score
c-ares vulnerability
Gzob Qq discovered that c-ares incorrectly handled certain hostnames. A remote attacker could use this issue to cause applications using c-ares to crash, resulting in a denial of service, or possibly execute arbitrary code.
- Record
USN-3143-1- Updated
- 2026-11-02
Affected products
Affected packages
| Package | Affected | Fixed |
|---|---|---|
c-aresAlpine:v3.2 |
before 1.12.0-r0 | 1.12.0-r0 |
c-aresAlpine:v3.3 |
before 1.12.0-r0 | 1.12.0-r0 |
c-aresAlpine:v3.4 |
before 1.12.0-r0 | 1.12.0-r0 |
c-aresAlpine:v3.5 |
before 1.12.0-r0 | 1.12.0-r0 |
c-aresAlpine:v3.6 |
before 1.12.0-r0 | 1.12.0-r0 |
nodejsAlpine:v3.6 |
before 6.8.0-r0 | 6.8.0-r0 |
c-aresTuxCare:CentOS:7 |
before 1.10.0-3.el7_9.1.tuxcare.els1 | 1.10.0-3.el7_9.1.tuxcare.els1 |
c-ares-develTuxCare:CentOS:7 |
before 1.10.0-3.el7_9.1.tuxcare.els1 | 1.10.0-3.el7_9.1.tuxcare.els1 |
c-aresDebian:12 |
before 1.12.0-1 | 1.12.0-1 |
c-aresDebian:13 |
before 1.12.0-1 | 1.12.0-1 |
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| Package | Affected | Fixed |
|---|---|---|
c-aresDebian:14 |
before 1.12.0-1 | 1.12.0-1 |
c-aresDebian:7 |
before 1.9.1-3+deb7u1, plus listed versions 1.9.1-3 |
1.9.1-3+deb7u1 |
c-aresDebian:8 |
before 1.10.0-2+deb8u1, plus listed versions 1.10.0-2 |
1.10.0-2+deb8u1 |
c-aresMageia:5 |
before 1.10.0-5.1.mga5 | 1.10.0-5.1.mga5 |
rh-nodejs4-http-parserRed Hat:rhel_software_collections:2::el6 |
before 0:2.7.0-2.el6 | 0:2.7.0-2.el6 |
rh-nodejs4-http-parser-debuginfoRed Hat:rhel_software_collections:2::el6 |
before 0:2.7.0-2.el6 | 0:2.7.0-2.el6 |
rh-nodejs4-http-parser-develRed Hat:rhel_software_collections:2::el6 |
before 0:2.7.0-2.el6 | 0:2.7.0-2.el6 |
rh-nodejs4-nodejsRed Hat:rhel_software_collections:2::el6 |
before 0:4.6.2-4.el6 | 0:4.6.2-4.el6 |
rh-nodejs4-nodejs-debuginfoRed Hat:rhel_software_collections:2::el6 |
before 0:4.6.2-4.el6 | 0:4.6.2-4.el6 |
rh-nodejs4-nodejs-develRed Hat:rhel_software_collections:2::el6 |
before 0:4.6.2-4.el6 | 0:4.6.2-4.el6 |
rh-nodejs4-nodejs-docsRed Hat:rhel_software_collections:2::el6 |
before 0:4.6.2-4.el6 | 0:4.6.2-4.el6 |
rh-nodejs4-http-parserRed Hat:rhel_software_collections:2::el7 |
before 0:2.7.0-2.el7 | 0:2.7.0-2.el7 |
rh-nodejs4-http-parser-debuginfoRed Hat:rhel_software_collections:2::el7 |
before 0:2.7.0-2.el7 | 0:2.7.0-2.el7 |
rh-nodejs4-http-parser-develRed Hat:rhel_software_collections:2::el7 |
before 0:2.7.0-2.el7 | 0:2.7.0-2.el7 |
rh-nodejs4-nodejsRed Hat:rhel_software_collections:2::el7 |
before 0:4.6.2-4.el7 | 0:4.6.2-4.el7 |
rh-nodejs4-nodejs-debuginfoRed Hat:rhel_software_collections:2::el7 |
before 0:4.6.2-4.el7 | 0:4.6.2-4.el7 |
rh-nodejs4-nodejs-develRed Hat:rhel_software_collections:2::el7 |
before 0:4.6.2-4.el7 | 0:4.6.2-4.el7 |
rh-nodejs4-nodejs-docsRed Hat:rhel_software_collections:2::el7 |
before 0:4.6.2-4.el7 | 0:4.6.2-4.el7 |
nodejs4SUSE:Linux Enterprise Module for Web and Scripting 12 |
before 4.6.1-11.1 | 4.6.1-11.1 |
libcares2SUSE:Linux Enterprise Desktop 12 SP1 |
before 1.9.1-5.1 | 1.9.1-5.1 |
libcares2SUSE:Linux Enterprise Desktop 12 SP2 |
before 1.9.1-5.1 | 1.9.1-5.1 |
libcares2SUSE:Linux Enterprise Server for Raspberry Pi 12 SP2 |
before 1.9.1-5.1 | 1.9.1-5.1 |
libcares2SUSE:Linux Enterprise Software Development Kit 12 SP1 |
before 1.9.1-5.1 | 1.9.1-5.1 |
libcares2SUSE:Linux Enterprise Software Development Kit 12 SP2 |
before 1.9.1-5.1 | 1.9.1-5.1 |
libcares2SUSE:Linux Enterprise Server 12 SP1 |
before 1.9.1-5.1 | 1.9.1-5.1 |
libcares2SUSE:Linux Enterprise Server for SAP Applications 12 SP1 |
before 1.9.1-5.1 | 1.9.1-5.1 |
libcares2SUSE:Linux Enterprise Server 12 SP2 |
before 1.9.1-5.1 | 1.9.1-5.1 |
libcares2SUSE:Linux Enterprise Server for SAP Applications 12 SP2 |
before 1.9.1-5.1 | 1.9.1-5.1 |
libcares2SUSE:Linux Enterprise Workstation Extension 12 SP1 |
before 1.9.1-5.1 | 1.9.1-5.1 |
libcares2SUSE:Linux Enterprise Workstation Extension 12 SP2 |
before 1.9.1-5.1 | 1.9.1-5.1 |
libcares2SUSE:Linux Enterprise Software Development Kit 11 SP4 |
before 1.7.4-7.9.1 | 1.7.4-7.9.1 |
libcares2SUSE:Linux Enterprise Server 11 SP4 |
before 1.7.4-7.9.1 | 1.7.4-7.9.1 |
libcares2SUSE:Linux Enterprise Server for SAP Applications 11 SP4 |
before 1.7.4-7.9.1 | 1.7.4-7.9.1 |
c-aresUbuntu:14.04:LTS |
before 1.10.0-2ubuntu0.1, plus listed versions 1.10.0-2 |
1.10.0-2ubuntu0.1 |
c-aresUbuntu:16.04:LTS |
before 1.10.0-3ubuntu0.1, plus listed versions 1.10.0-21.10.0-3 |
1.10.0-3ubuntu0.1 |
c-aresopenSUSE:Tumbleweed |
before 1.12.0-1.1 | 1.12.0-1.1 |
Public exploits
Links only. Every CVE stores no exploit code.
| Source | Link | Date |
|---|---|---|
| PoC in GitHub | pouriam23/CVE-2016-5180 | 2025-05-23 |
| PoC in GitHub | pouriam23/CVE-2016-5180-docker- | 2025-05-23 |
| PoC in GitHub | pouriam23/final-CVE-2016-5180 | 2025-05-24 |
History
| Recorded | Changed | Sources |
|---|---|---|
| aliases | EUVD | |
| first indexed | CVE List, GitHub Advisories, NVD, OSV, PoC in GitHub |
Dates are when Every CVE recorded each change. Upstream dates may differ.
In short
CVE-2016-5180 is a critical vulnerability (CVSS 9.8) in C-ares, published September 30, 2016. Public exploit code exists. EPSS puts the chance of exploitation in the next 30 days at 8.65%, the 95th percentile. Fixed in c-ares 1.12.0-r0.
References
source.android.com/security/bulletin/2017-01-01.html
securityfocus.com/bid/93243
ubuntu.com/usn/USN-3143-1
security.gentoo.org/glsa/201701-28
debian.org/security/2016/dsa-3682
c-ares.haxx.se/adv_20160929.html
Show 48 moreShow less
c-ares.haxx.se/CVE-2016-5180.patch
googlechromereleases.blogspot.in/2016/09/stable-channel-updates-for-chrome-os.html
rhn.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2017-0002.html
nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2016-5180
github.com/advisories/GHSA-29hr-5wcr-whpc
security.alpinelinux.org/vuln/CVE-2016-5180
docs.bell-sw.com/security/cves/CVE-2016-5180
errata.tuxcare.com/els_os/centos7els/CLSA-2025-1757608893.html
security-tracker.debian.org/tracker/CVE-2016-5180
advisories.mageia.org/MGASA-2016-0351.html
bugs.mageia.org/show_bug.cgi?id=19489
access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2017:0002
access.redhat.com/security/updates/classification
bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=1335449
bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=1346910
bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=1379921
bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=1380463
bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=1388097
security.access.redhat.com/data/csaf/v2/advisories/2017/rhsa-2017_0002.json
access.redhat.com/security/cve/CVE-2016-1669
cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2016-1669
nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2016-1669
googlechromereleases.blogspot.com/2016/05/stable-channel-update.html
access.redhat.com/security/cve/CVE-2016-5180
cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2016-5180
access.redhat.com/security/cve/CVE-2016-5325
cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2016-5325
nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2016-5325
nodejs.org/en/blog/vulnerability/september-2016-security-releases
access.redhat.com/security/cve/CVE-2016-7099
cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2016-7099
nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2016-7099
suse.com/support/update/announcement/2016/suse-su-20162898-1
bugzilla.suse.com/1007728
bugzilla.suse.com/1009011
suse.com/security/cve/CVE-2016-5180
suse.com/support/update/announcement/2016/suse-su-20163286-1
suse.com/support/update/announcement/2016/suse-su-20163287-1
ubuntu.com/security/CVE-2016-5180
ubuntu.com/security/notices/USN-3143-1
suse.com/security/cve/CVE-2016-1669
suse.com/security/cve/CVE-2016-2178
suse.com/security/cve/CVE-2016-2183
suse.com/security/cve/CVE-2016-5325
suse.com/security/cve/CVE-2016-6304
suse.com/security/cve/CVE-2016-6306
suse.com/security/cve/CVE-2016-7052
suse.com/security/cve/CVE-2016-7099