PatchSiren

PatchSiren cyber security CVE debrief

CVE-2016-7544 Cryptopp CVE debrief

CVE-2016-7544 describes a memory-management flaw in Crypto++ 5.6.4. In the affected code path, the library uses Microsoft's stack-oriented _malloca and _freea helpers to align a table in memory. If that table is later reallocated, the code may free the wrong pointer, which can destabilize the process and is scored as a high-severity availability issue.

Vendor
Cryptopp
Product
CVE-2016-7544
CVSS
HIGH 7.5
CISA KEV
Not listed in stored evidence
Original CVE published
2017-01-30
Original CVE updated
2026-05-13
Advisory published
2017-01-30
Advisory updated
2026-05-13

Who should care

Organizations and developers that embed or ship Crypto++ 5.6.4 should review their deployments, especially builds that exercise the affected allocation/alignment path. Security teams responsible for C++ applications using Crypto++ should treat this as an availability and memory-safety review item.

Technical summary

The supplied NVD description says Crypto++ 5.6.4 incorrectly uses Microsoft's stack-based _malloca and _freea functions when allocating memory to align a table. The problem arises if the table is later reallocated: the code may end up freeing a different pointer than the one originally allocated. NVD maps the issue to CWE-399 and rates it CVSS 3.0 7.5 (AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H), indicating a remotely reachable issue with major availability impact but no direct confidentiality or integrity impact recorded in the vector.

Defensive priority

High. The CVSS score is 7.5 with High severity and no privileges or user interaction required in the NVD vector, so affected deployments should be prioritized for upgrade or containment.

Recommended defensive actions

  • Identify any use of Crypto++ 5.6.4 in your software inventory and confirm whether the affected code path is present in your build.
  • Upgrade to a vendor-fixed Crypto++ release referenced by the vendor advisory and issue tracker.
  • Test applications that use Crypto++ for crashes or unstable behavior in the affected memory-alignment code path.
  • If immediate upgrading is not possible, limit exposure by reducing use of the affected library version and monitoring for process failures.
  • Validate any vendor patch guidance against the release notes and issue references supplied in the advisory metadata.

Evidence notes

This debrief is based only on the supplied NVD record summary and its listed references. The core evidence is the NVD description of incorrect _malloca/_freea usage, the CVSS 3.0 vector and severity, the CWE-399 mapping, and the reference metadata pointing to mailing list posts, a GitHub issue, and Crypto++ release notes. No additional claims about exploitation or patch specifics are made beyond that corpus.

Official resources

The CVE record was published on 2017-01-30 and later modified on 2026-05-13. The supplied reference metadata also points to supporting materials dated 2016-09-23, indicating earlier discussion and remediation activity in the public record.