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CVE-2016-10095 Libtiff CVE debrief

CVE-2016-10095 is a stack-based buffer overflow in LibTIFF's _TIFFVGetField function in tif_dir.c. NVD describes the impact as a denial of service/crash when processing a crafted TIFF file, and maps the issue to CWE-119. The CVE was published by NVD on 2017-03-01. NVD's CVSS v3.0 vector is AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H, so the scoring reflects a user-interaction-dependent, local attack path even though the narrative description emphasizes attacker-supplied TIFF input.

Vendor
Libtiff
Product
Unknown
CVSS
MEDIUM 5.5
CISA KEV
Not listed in stored evidence
Original CVE published
2017-03-01
Original CVE updated
2026-05-13
Advisory published
2017-03-01
Advisory updated
2026-05-13

Who should care

Security and platform teams that deploy LibTIFF directly or indirectly, especially in image viewers, document ingestion pipelines, thumbnailing/conversion services, scanners, and any application that parses untrusted TIFF files.

Technical summary

The flaw is a stack-based buffer overflow in _TIFFVGetField within tif_dir.c. According to NVD, a crafted TIFF file can trigger the overflow and crash the affected process, resulting in availability impact only. The record classifies the weakness as CWE-119. The published CVSS vector indicates no confidentiality or integrity impact, but high availability impact, with user interaction required.

Defensive priority

Medium. Raise to high if LibTIFF is used in automated or internet-facing workflows that process untrusted TIFF content.

Recommended defensive actions

  • Inventory systems and applications that depend on LibTIFF, including indirect dependencies in image-processing stacks.
  • Apply the vendor's patched LibTIFF release or downstream security update once confirmed by your distribution or vendor advisory.
  • Restrict TIFF parsing to trusted inputs where possible, and sandbox or isolate conversion services that must handle external files.
  • Add file-type validation and input handling controls so malformed or unexpected TIFFs are rejected before reaching LibTIFF.
  • Monitor crash reports and security advisories related to LibTIFF, especially Debian, Gentoo, OSS-security, and NVD references linked to this CVE.

Evidence notes

All claims are drawn from the supplied NVD record and the listed references. The vulnerability description and CWE come from the NVD metadata. The publication date is taken from the CVE record, and the reference set includes the MapTools issue tracker entry, Debian DSA-3903, two oss-security posts, SecurityFocus BID 95178, and a Gentoo advisory. No fixed-version claim is made here because the supplied corpus does not confirm one.

Sources and references

Verified primary and authoritative sources

  • CVE-2016-10095 CVE Program record

    Publisher, destination, and source semantics verified

    URL: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2016-10095

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

  • CVE-2016-10095 NVD vulnerability detail

    Publisher, destination, and source semantics verified

    URL: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2016-10095

    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.