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CVE-2016-6883 Matrixssl CVE debrief

CVE-2016-6883 affects MatrixSSL versions before 3.8.3 when RSA cipher suites are configured. According to NVD, the issue can let a remote attacker obtain sensitive information through a Bleichenbacher-variant attack. The published CVSS score is 5.9 (Medium), with the main impact on confidentiality.

Vendor
Matrixssl
Product
Unknown
CVSS
MEDIUM 5.9
CISA KEV
Not listed in stored evidence
Original CVE published
2017-03-03
Original CVE updated
2026-05-13
Advisory published
2017-03-03
Advisory updated
2026-05-13

Who should care

Security teams and developers responsible for products or appliances that embed MatrixSSL, especially if TLS/SSL is exposed to untrusted networks and RSA cipher suites are enabled.

Technical summary

NVD describes the issue as affecting MatrixSSL up to version 3.8.2, with vulnerability conditions tied to RSA cipher suites. The weakness is classified as CWE-200, and the CVSS v3.0 vector is AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N, indicating remote exploitation without privileges or user interaction, but with higher attack complexity and confidentiality impact only.

Defensive priority

Medium priority. Upgrade affected MatrixSSL deployments to 3.8.3 or later, and review whether RSA cipher suites are still enabled anywhere they are not required.

Recommended defensive actions

  • Upgrade MatrixSSL to version 3.8.3 or later in all affected products.
  • Identify whether RSA cipher suites are enabled in your TLS configuration and disable them where feasible.
  • Inventory embedded or bundled MatrixSSL instances in appliances, SDKs, and firmware.
  • Validate vendor-provided fixes or release notes before redeploying affected components.
  • Prioritize external-facing services first, since the issue is network-reachable.

Evidence notes

This debrief is based on the official NVD record and the linked references in the source corpus. NVD lists MatrixSSL versions through 3.8.2 as vulnerable and cites a Bleichenbacher-variant attack with confidentiality impact. The reference set includes an Openwall oss-security mailing list post from 2016-08-19, a SecurityFocus BID entry, and MatrixSSL release notes in CHANGES.md. The CVE record was published on 2017-03-03 and later modified on 2026-05-13; that modified timestamp is not the vulnerability date.

Sources and references

Verified primary and authoritative sources

  • CVE-2016-6883 CVE Program record

    Publisher, destination, and source semantics verified

    URL: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2016-6883

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

  • CVE-2016-6883 NVD vulnerability detail

    Publisher, destination, and source semantics verified

    URL: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2016-6883

    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.