CVE-2016-7166
libarchive before 3.2.0 does not limit the number of recursive decompressions, which allows...
CVE-2016-7166 is a medium vulnerability (CVSS 5.5) in Libarchive, published September 10, 2016. No source lists public exploit code. EPSS puts the chance of exploitation in the next 30 days at 1.64%, the 76th percentile. Fixed in libarchive 3.2.0-2.
libarchive before 3.2.0 does not limit the number of recursive decompressions, which allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (memory consumption and application crash) via a crafted gzip file.
Attack profile
How easy it is to exploit
- Attack vector
- Local
- Complexity
- Low
- Privileges needed
- None
- User interaction
- Required
What an attacker can affect
- Confidentiality
- None
- Integrity
- None
- Availability
- High
Exploit likelihood
What each source reports
NVD Score used
5.5
libarchive before 3.2.0 does not limit the number of recursive decompressions, which allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (memory consumption and application crash) via a crafted gzip file.
- Record
CVE-2016-7166- CVSS 3.0
- 5.5 Medium
CVSS:3.0/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H - CVSS 2.0
- 4.3 Medium
AV:N/AC:M/Au:N/C:N/I:N/A:P - Weakness
- CWE-399
- Updated
- 2026-11-02
CVE List No score
libarchive before 3.2.0 does not limit the number of recursive decompressions, which allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (memory consumption and application crash) via a crafted gzip file.
- Record
CVE-2016-7166- Updated
- 2026-11-02
EUVDEUVD-2016-8034 No score
libarchive before 3.2.0 does not limit the number of recursive decompressions, which allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (memory consumption and application crash) via a crafted gzip file.
- Record
EUVD-2016-8034- Updated
- 2026-11-03
GitHub AdvisoriesGHSA-8hwj-j49v-pfwp
5.5
libarchive before 3.2.0 does not limit the number of recursive decompressions, which allows...
libarchive before 3.2.0 does not limit the number of recursive decompressions, which allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (memory consumption and application crash) via a crafted gzip file.
- Record
GHSA-8hwj-j49v-pfwp- CVSS 3.0
- 5.5 Medium
CVSS:3.0/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H - Updated
- 2026-11-02
OSV
5.5
libarchive before 3.2.0 does not limit the number of recursive decompressions, which allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (memory consumption and application crash) via a crafted gzip file.
- Record
CVE-2016-7166- CVSS 3.0
- 5.5 Medium
CVSS:3.0/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H - Updated
- 2026-11-02
OSVDEBIAN-CVE-2016-7166
5.5
libarchive before 3.2.0 does not limit the number of recursive decompressions, which allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (memory consumption and application crash) via a crafted gzip file.
- Record
DEBIAN-CVE-2016-7166- CVSS 3.0
- 5.5 Medium
CVSS:3.0/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H - Updated
- 2026-11-02
Show 4 moreShow less
OSVRHSA-2016:1844
8.4
Red Hat Security Advisory: libarchive security update
- Record
RHSA-2016:1844- CVSS 3.0
- 8.4 High
CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:L - Updated
- 2026-11-02
OSVRHSA-2016:1850
7.5
Red Hat Security Advisory: libarchive security update
- Record
RHSA-2016:1850- CVSS 3.0
- 7.5 High
CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H - Updated
- 2026-11-02
OSVUBUNTU-CVE-2016-7166
5.5
libarchive before 3.2.0 does not limit the number of recursive decompressions, which allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (memory consumption and application crash) via a crafted gzip file.
- Record
UBUNTU-CVE-2016-7166- CVSS 3.0
- 5.5 Medium
CVSS:3.0/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H - Updated
- 2026-11-02
OSVUSN-3225-1 No score
libarchive vulnerabilities
It was discovered that libarchive incorrectly handled hardlink entries when extracting archives. A remote attacker could possibly use this issue to overwrite arbitrary files. (CVE-2016-5418)
Christian Wressnegger, Alwin Maier, and Fabian Yamaguchi discovered that libarchive incorrectly handled filename lengths when writing ISO9660 archives. A remote attacker could use this issue to cause libarchive to crash, resulting in a denial of service, or possibly execute arbitrary code. This issue only applied to Ubuntu 12.04 LTS, Ubuntu 14.04 LTS and Ubuntu 16.04 LTS. (CVE-2016-6250)
Alexander Cherepanov discovered that libarchive incorrectly handled recursive decompressions. A remote attacker could possibly use this issue to cause libarchive to hang, resulting in a denial of service. This issue only applied to Ubuntu 12.04 LTS, Ubuntu 14.04 LTS and Ubuntu 16.04 LTS. (CVE-2016-7166)
It was discovered that libarchive incorrectly handled non-printable multibyte characters in filenames. A remote attacker could possibly use this issue to cause libarchive to crash, resulting in a denial of service. (CVE-2016-8687)
It was discovered that libarchive incorrectly handled line sizes when extracting certain archives. A remote attacker could possibly use this issue to cause libarchive to crash, resulting in a denial of service. (CVE-2016-8688)
It was discovered that libarchive incorrectly handled multiple EmptyStream attributes when extracting certain 7zip archives. A remote attacker could possibly use this issue to cause libarchive to crash, resulting in a denial of service. (CVE-2016-8689)
Jakub Jirasek discovered that libarchive incorrectly handled memory when extracting certain archives. A remote attacker could possibly use this issue to cause libarchive to crash, resulting in a denial of service. (CVE-2017-5601)
- Record
USN-3225-1- Updated
- 2026-11-02
Affected products
Affected packages
| Package | Affected | Fixed |
|---|---|---|
libarchiveDebian:12 |
before 3.2.0-2 | 3.2.0-2 |
libarchiveDebian:13 |
before 3.2.0-2 | 3.2.0-2 |
libarchiveDebian:14 |
before 3.2.0-2 | 3.2.0-2 |
libarchiveDebian:7 |
before 3.0.4-3+wheezy3, plus listed versions 3.0.4-3+nmu13.0.4-3+wheezy13.0.4-3+wheezy2 |
3.0.4-3+wheezy3 |
libarchiveDebian:8 |
before 3.1.2-11+deb8u3, plus listed versions 3.1.2-113.1.2-11+deb8u13.1.2-11+deb8u23.1.2-11+deb8u3~bpo70+1 |
3.1.2-11+deb8u3 |
libarchiveRed Hat:enterprise_linux:7::client |
before 0:3.1.2-10.el7_2 | 0:3.1.2-10.el7_2 |
libarchive-debuginfoRed Hat:enterprise_linux:7::client |
before 0:3.1.2-10.el7_2 | 0:3.1.2-10.el7_2 |
bsdcpioRed Hat:enterprise_linux:7::client |
before 0:3.1.2-10.el7_2 | 0:3.1.2-10.el7_2 |
bsdtarRed Hat:enterprise_linux:7::client |
before 0:3.1.2-10.el7_2 | 0:3.1.2-10.el7_2 |
libarchive-develRed Hat:enterprise_linux:7::client |
before 0:3.1.2-10.el7_2 | 0:3.1.2-10.el7_2 |
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| Package | Affected | Fixed |
|---|---|---|
libarchiveRed Hat:enterprise_linux:7::computenode |
before 0:3.1.2-10.el7_2 | 0:3.1.2-10.el7_2 |
libarchive-debuginfoRed Hat:enterprise_linux:7::computenode |
before 0:3.1.2-10.el7_2 | 0:3.1.2-10.el7_2 |
bsdcpioRed Hat:enterprise_linux:7::computenode |
before 0:3.1.2-10.el7_2 | 0:3.1.2-10.el7_2 |
bsdtarRed Hat:enterprise_linux:7::computenode |
before 0:3.1.2-10.el7_2 | 0:3.1.2-10.el7_2 |
libarchive-develRed Hat:enterprise_linux:7::computenode |
before 0:3.1.2-10.el7_2 | 0:3.1.2-10.el7_2 |
libarchiveRed Hat:enterprise_linux:7::server |
before 0:3.1.2-10.el7_2 | 0:3.1.2-10.el7_2 |
libarchive-debuginfoRed Hat:enterprise_linux:7::server |
before 0:3.1.2-10.el7_2 | 0:3.1.2-10.el7_2 |
bsdcpioRed Hat:enterprise_linux:7::server |
before 0:3.1.2-10.el7_2 | 0:3.1.2-10.el7_2 |
bsdtarRed Hat:enterprise_linux:7::server |
before 0:3.1.2-10.el7_2 | 0:3.1.2-10.el7_2 |
libarchive-develRed Hat:enterprise_linux:7::server |
before 0:3.1.2-10.el7_2 | 0:3.1.2-10.el7_2 |
libarchiveRed Hat:enterprise_linux:7::workstation |
before 0:3.1.2-10.el7_2 | 0:3.1.2-10.el7_2 |
libarchive-debuginfoRed Hat:enterprise_linux:7::workstation |
before 0:3.1.2-10.el7_2 | 0:3.1.2-10.el7_2 |
bsdcpioRed Hat:enterprise_linux:7::workstation |
before 0:3.1.2-10.el7_2 | 0:3.1.2-10.el7_2 |
bsdtarRed Hat:enterprise_linux:7::workstation |
before 0:3.1.2-10.el7_2 | 0:3.1.2-10.el7_2 |
libarchive-develRed Hat:enterprise_linux:7::workstation |
before 0:3.1.2-10.el7_2 | 0:3.1.2-10.el7_2 |
libarchiveRed Hat:enterprise_linux:6::client |
before 0:2.8.3-7.el6_8 | 0:2.8.3-7.el6_8 |
libarchive-debuginfoRed Hat:enterprise_linux:6::client |
before 0:2.8.3-7.el6_8 | 0:2.8.3-7.el6_8 |
libarchive-develRed Hat:enterprise_linux:6::client |
before 0:2.8.3-7.el6_8 | 0:2.8.3-7.el6_8 |
libarchiveRed Hat:enterprise_linux:6::computenode |
before 0:2.8.3-7.el6_8 | 0:2.8.3-7.el6_8 |
libarchive-debuginfoRed Hat:enterprise_linux:6::computenode |
before 0:2.8.3-7.el6_8 | 0:2.8.3-7.el6_8 |
libarchive-develRed Hat:enterprise_linux:6::computenode |
before 0:2.8.3-7.el6_8 | 0:2.8.3-7.el6_8 |
libarchiveRed Hat:enterprise_linux:6::server |
before 0:2.8.3-7.el6_8 | 0:2.8.3-7.el6_8 |
libarchive-debuginfoRed Hat:enterprise_linux:6::server |
before 0:2.8.3-7.el6_8 | 0:2.8.3-7.el6_8 |
libarchive-develRed Hat:enterprise_linux:6::server |
before 0:2.8.3-7.el6_8 | 0:2.8.3-7.el6_8 |
libarchiveRed Hat:enterprise_linux:6::workstation |
before 0:2.8.3-7.el6_8 | 0:2.8.3-7.el6_8 |
libarchive-debuginfoRed Hat:enterprise_linux:6::workstation |
before 0:2.8.3-7.el6_8 | 0:2.8.3-7.el6_8 |
libarchive-develRed Hat:enterprise_linux:6::workstation |
before 0:2.8.3-7.el6_8 | 0:2.8.3-7.el6_8 |
libarchiveUbuntu:14.04:LTS |
before 3.1.2-7ubuntu2.4, plus listed versions 3.1.2-5ubuntu13.1.2-7ubuntu13.1.2-7ubuntu23.1.2-7ubuntu2.13.1.2-7ubuntu2.23.1.2-7ubuntu2.3 |
3.1.2-7ubuntu2.4 |
libarchiveUbuntu:16.04:LTS |
before 3.1.2-11ubuntu0.16.04.3, plus listed versions 3.1.2-11build13.1.2-11ubuntu0.16.04.13.1.2-11ubuntu0.16.04.2 |
3.1.2-11ubuntu0.16.04.3 |
History
| When | Changed | Sources |
|---|---|---|
| 2026-11-03 | aliases | EUVD |
| 2026-11-02 | created | CVE List, GitHub Advisories, NVD, OSV |
References
rhn.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2016-1844.html
oracle.com/technetwork/topics/security/linuxbulletinjul2016-3090544.html
openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2016/09/08/18
github.com/libarchive/libarchive/commit/6e06b1c89dd0d16f74894eac4cfc1327a06ee4a0
github.com/libarchive/libarchive/issues/660
bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=1347086
Show 115 moreShow less
rhn.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2016-1850.html
openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2016/09/08/15
security.gentoo.org/glsa/201701-03
bugs.freebsd.org/bugzilla/show_bug.cgi?id=207362
securityfocus.com/bid/92901
nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2016-7166
github.com/advisories/GHSA-8hwj-j49v-pfwp
security-tracker.debian.org/tracker/CVE-2016-7166
access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2016:1844
access.redhat.com/security/updates/classification
bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=1334211
bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=1347084
bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=1347085
bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=1348412
bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=1348413
bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=1348414
bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=1348416
bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=1348419
bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=1348421
bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=1348423
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bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=1348429
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bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=1348772
bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=1348773
bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=1348779
bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=1348780
bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=1349204
bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=1349229
bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=1350280
bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=1362601
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access.redhat.com/security/cve/CVE-2015-8916
cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2015-8916
nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2015-8916
access.redhat.com/security/cve/CVE-2015-8917
cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2015-8917
nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2015-8917
access.redhat.com/security/cve/CVE-2015-8919
cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2015-8919
nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2015-8919
access.redhat.com/security/cve/CVE-2015-8920
cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2015-8920
nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2015-8920
access.redhat.com/security/cve/CVE-2015-8921
cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2015-8921
nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2015-8921
access.redhat.com/security/cve/CVE-2015-8922
cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2015-8922
nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2015-8922
access.redhat.com/security/cve/CVE-2015-8923
cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2015-8923
nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2015-8923
access.redhat.com/security/cve/CVE-2015-8924
cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2015-8924
nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2015-8924
access.redhat.com/security/cve/CVE-2015-8925
cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2015-8925
nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2015-8925
access.redhat.com/security/cve/CVE-2015-8926
cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2015-8926
nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2015-8926
access.redhat.com/security/cve/CVE-2015-8928
cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2015-8928
nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2015-8928
access.redhat.com/security/cve/CVE-2015-8930
cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2015-8930
nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2015-8930
access.redhat.com/security/cve/CVE-2015-8931
cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2015-8931
nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2015-8931
access.redhat.com/security/cve/CVE-2015-8932
cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2015-8932
nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2015-8932
access.redhat.com/security/cve/CVE-2015-8934
cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2015-8934
nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2015-8934
access.redhat.com/security/cve/CVE-2016-1541
cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2016-1541
nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2016-1541
kb.cert.org/vuls/id/862384
access.redhat.com/security/cve/CVE-2016-4300
cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2016-4300
nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2016-4300
talosintel.com/reports/TALOS-2016-0152
access.redhat.com/security/cve/CVE-2016-4302
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talosintel.com/reports/TALOS-2016-0154
access.redhat.com/security/cve/CVE-2016-4809
cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2016-4809
nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2016-4809
access.redhat.com/security/cve/CVE-2016-5418
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nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2016-5418
seclists.org/oss-sec/2016/q3/255
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access.redhat.com/security/cve/CVE-2016-6250
cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2016-6250
nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2016-6250
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cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2016-7166
access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2016:1850
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ubuntu.com/security/CVE-2016-7166
ubuntu.com/security/notices/USN-3225-1
ubuntu.com/security/CVE-2016-5418
ubuntu.com/security/CVE-2016-6250
ubuntu.com/security/CVE-2016-8687
ubuntu.com/security/CVE-2016-8688
ubuntu.com/security/CVE-2016-8689
ubuntu.com/security/CVE-2017-5601