PatchSiren

PatchSiren cyber security CVE debrief

CVE-2016-7511 Libdwarf Project CVE debrief

CVE-2016-7511 affects libdwarf 20160613 and involves an integer overflow in dwarf_die_deliv.c. According to NVD, a crafted file can trigger a denial of service by causing a crash. The issue is rated medium severity and is most relevant anywhere libdwarf is used to parse untrusted input.

Vendor
Libdwarf Project
Product
Libdwarf
CVSS
MEDIUM 5.5
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

Security teams and developers who use libdwarf directly or indirectly, especially in tools or services that open attacker-controlled or externally supplied files. Also relevant to teams that ingest debug-symbol or DWARF-containing artifacts as part of build, analysis, or triage workflows.

Technical summary

NVD describes the weakness as an integer overflow (CWE-190) in dwarf_die_deliv.c in libdwarf 20160613. The documented impact is denial of service via a crafted file. The CVSS vector provided by NVD is CVSS:3.0/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H, which indicates a crash-oriented availability impact with user interaction required.

Defensive priority

Medium. The vulnerability is not listed as code execution, but it can still disrupt file-processing workflows and affect any environment that opens untrusted DWARF-containing content. Prioritize if libdwarf is exposed to external inputs or used in high-availability parsing pipelines.

Recommended defensive actions

  • Identify deployments that include libdwarf 20160613 or the affected libdwarf project package.
  • Apply the vendor fix or upgrade to a non-vulnerable libdwarf release if one is available through your distribution or upstream project.
  • Treat files processed by libdwarf as untrusted input and limit where crafted files can reach parsing workflows.
  • Run file-processing components with least privilege and consider sandboxing or process isolation to reduce the impact of parser crashes.
  • Monitor for repeated crashes or parsing errors in libdwarf-based tools and services, especially when handling externally supplied files.

Evidence notes

The supplied NVD record states: "Integer overflow in the dwarf_die_deliv.c in libdwarf 20160613 allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (crash) via a crafted file." NVD maps the weakness to CWE-190 and lists a medium-severity CVSS vector with availability impact. The record also links to an issue-tracking entry and a third-party vendor/advisory page for additional context.

Official resources

NVD published the CVE record on 2017-02-17 and later modified it on 2026-05-13. Use the published date for issue timing; the later modified date reflects record maintenance, not original disclosure.