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CVE-2016-5028 Libdwarf Project CVE debrief

CVE-2016-5028 is a denial-of-service vulnerability in libdwarf before 20160923. According to the NVD record, the issue is a NULL pointer dereference in print_frame_inst_bytes that can be triggered by an object file with empty bss-like sections. The impact is availability-only, with CVSS 3.1 scoring showing Network attack vector, low attack complexity, no privileges required, user interaction required, and high availability impact.

Vendor
Libdwarf Project
Product
Libdwarf
CVSS
MEDIUM 6.5
CISA KEV
Not listed in stored evidence
Original CVE published
2017-02-17
Original CVE updated
2026-05-13
Advisory published
2017-02-17
Advisory updated
2026-05-13

Who should care

Organizations that build, distribute, or embed libdwarf, especially tools that parse or inspect object files and DWARF data. Security teams that ingest untrusted binaries, and downstream package maintainers for affected libdwarf versions, should prioritize checking whether the vulnerable code is present in their software supply chain.

Technical summary

NVD describes the flaw as a NULL pointer dereference in libdwarf's print_frame_inst_bytes function. The affected version range in the NVD CPE criteria is from the product's early releases through before 2016-09-23. The documented trigger is an object file containing empty bss-like sections. The primary weakness mapping is CWE-476 (NULL Pointer Dereference).

Defensive priority

Medium. This is an availability issue rather than a code-execution or data-exposure flaw, but it is remotely triggerable through crafted input and can crash applications that process affected files.

Recommended defensive actions

  • Confirm whether any shipped or embedded libdwarf builds are earlier than 20160923.
  • Upgrade libdwarf to a version at or after 20160923, or apply the vendor-referenced fix if backporting is required.
  • Identify applications and services that parse untrusted object files and ensure they use the patched library version.
  • Add crash monitoring and file-ingest validation around object-file processing paths that rely on libdwarf.
  • If immediate upgrading is not possible, restrict exposure by limiting who can submit files to affected workflows.

Evidence notes

The vulnerability description, version boundary, and CWE are taken from the official NVD record. The CVSS vector provided by NVD is CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H, indicating a user-interaction-dependent availability impact. The NVD reference list includes an OSS-security mailing list patch reference dated 2016-05-24 and a related entry dated 2016-05-25, plus a third-party advisory at prevanders.net. CVE publication time is 2017-02-17; later modification metadata should not be interpreted as the issue date.

Sources and references

Verified primary and authoritative sources

  • CVE-2016-5028 CVE Program record

    Publisher, destination, and source semantics verified

    URL: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2016-5028

    CVE Program - Official CVE Program record with source-provided CVE metadata.

  • CVE-2016-5028 NVD vulnerability detail

    Publisher, destination, and source semantics verified

    URL: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2016-5028

    NIST National Vulnerability Database - Official NIST NVD detail page and source-specific vulnerability assessment.

Supplemental references

Methodology and review provenance

AI-assisted synthesis based on stored public vulnerability evidence. System validation, approval state, and publication status do not by themselves establish human review of this revision. PatchSiren helps prioritize defensive review and does not prove exposure or remediation on any system.