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CVE-2016-5043 Libdwarf Project CVE debrief

CVE-2016-5043 is a denial-of-service vulnerability in libdwarf’s dwarf_dealloc function. According to NVD, libdwarf versions before 20160923 are affected, and crafted DWARF input can trigger an out-of-bounds read that leads to a crash. The official NVD record was published on 2017-02-17 and later modified on 2026-05-13; the supplied references show vendor/third-party advisory activity in May 2016.

Vendor
Libdwarf Project
Product
Libdwarf
CVSS
HIGH 7.5
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

Teams that ship libdwarf or embed it in tools or services that parse untrusted DWARF data should treat this as a high-priority availability issue, especially where attacker-controlled files or artifacts can reach the parser.

Technical summary

NVD maps this issue to CWE-125 (out-of-bounds read) and rates it CVSS 3.1 AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H. The vulnerable range listed by NVD is libdwarf before 20160923. The supplied advisory references indicate the flaw is in dwarf_dealloc and that a crafted DWARF section can cause a crash, making the primary impact availability loss rather than data disclosure or code execution.

Defensive priority

High priority for any environment that processes externally supplied or otherwise untrusted DWARF content; lower urgency only if libdwarf is present but never exposed to attacker-controlled input.

Recommended defensive actions

  • Upgrade libdwarf to 20160923 or later, since NVD marks versions before 20160923 as vulnerable.
  • Inventory applications, libraries, and build or analysis tools that depend on libdwarf and verify whether they can process untrusted DWARF sections.
  • If immediate upgrading is not possible, restrict or sandbox the processing of untrusted DWARF files to reduce crash impact.
  • Monitor vendor and project advisories referenced in the record for any project-specific remediation guidance.
  • Treat repeated crashes in DWARF parsing paths as a security signal and validate inputs before they reach libdwarf where feasible.

Evidence notes

The supplied NVD record states: libdwarf before 20160923 is vulnerable; the issue is in dwarf_dealloc; a crafted DWARF section can cause an out-of-bounds read and crash; and the CVSS vector is AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H. Supporting references include the Openwall oss-security posts dated 2016-05-24 and 2016-05-25 and the prevanders.net dwarfbug advisory page. The CVE record was published on 2017-02-17 and modified on 2026-05-13; these dates describe record lifecycle, not the original vulnerability creation date.

Sources and references

Verified primary and authoritative sources

  • CVE-2016-5043 CVE Program record

    Publisher, destination, and source semantics verified

    URL: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2016-5043

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

  • CVE-2016-5043 NVD vulnerability detail

    Publisher, destination, and source semantics verified

    URL: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2016-5043

    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.