Vulnerability Monitor

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CVE-2016-7420

Crypto++ (aka cryptopp) through 5.6.4 does not document the requirement for a compile-time NDEBUG definition disabling the many assert calls that are unintended in production use, which might allow context-dependent attackers to obtain sensitive information by leveraging access to process memory after an assertion failure, as demonstrated by reading a core dump.

Security Impact Summary

This vulnerability carries a MEDIUM severity rating with a CVSS v3.1 score of 5.9, indicating it can be exploited remotely over the network but requires specific conditions to be met without requiring user interaction and does not require pre-existing privileges . The vulnerability impacts confidentiality (data exposure), for affected systems. Impacting 1 product from cryptopp organizations running these solutions should prioritize assessment and patching.

Historical Context

First disclosed in 2016, this vulnerability was reported during a period defined by widespread IoT adoption challenges, mobile security concerns, and the emergence of advanced persistent threat (APT) techniques. Contemporary mitigation strategies focused on secure development practices and third-party component vetting.

Published

2016-09-16T05:59:15.427

Last Modified

2025-11-14T20:15:44.153

Status

Deferred

Source

[email protected]

Severity

CVSSv3.0: 5.9 (MEDIUM)

CVSSv2 Vector

AV:N/AC:M/Au:N/C:P/I:N/A:N

Access Vector: NETWORK
Access Complexity: MEDIUM
Authentication: NONE
Confidentiality Impact: PARTIAL
Integrity Impact: NONE
Availability Impact: NONE

Exploitability Score

8.6

Impact Score

2.9

Weaknesses

Type: Primary
CWE-200

Affected Vendors & Products

Type	Vendor	Product	Version/Range	Vulnerable?
Application	cryptopp	crypto\+\+	≤ 5.6.4	Yes

References

http://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2016/09/15/12 Mailing List, Third Party Advisory ([email protected])
http://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2016/09/16/1 Mailing List, Third Party Advisory ([email protected])
http://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2023/09/28/2 ([email protected])
http://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2023/09/28/4 ([email protected])
http://www.securityfocus.com/bid/92988 ([email protected])
https://github.com/weidai11/cryptopp/commit/553049ba297d89d9e8fbf2204acb40a8a53f5cd6 Issue Tracking, Patch, Third Party Advisory ([email protected])
https://github.com/weidai11/cryptopp/issues/277 Issue Tracking, Patch, Third Party Advisory ([email protected])
http://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2016/09/15/12 Mailing List, Third Party Advisory (af854a3a-2127-422b-91ae-364da2661108)
http://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2016/09/16/1 Mailing List, Third Party Advisory (af854a3a-2127-422b-91ae-364da2661108)
http://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2023/09/28/2 (af854a3a-2127-422b-91ae-364da2661108)
http://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2023/09/28/4 (af854a3a-2127-422b-91ae-364da2661108)
http://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2025/11/14/5 (af854a3a-2127-422b-91ae-364da2661108)
http://www.securityfocus.com/bid/92988 (af854a3a-2127-422b-91ae-364da2661108)
https://github.com/weidai11/cryptopp/commit/553049ba297d89d9e8fbf2204acb40a8a53f5cd6 Issue Tracking, Patch, Third Party Advisory (af854a3a-2127-422b-91ae-364da2661108)
https://github.com/weidai11/cryptopp/issues/277 Issue Tracking, Patch, Third Party Advisory (af854a3a-2127-422b-91ae-364da2661108)

How SecUtils Interprets This CVE

SecUtils normalizes and enriches National Vulnerability Database (NVD) records by standardizing vendor and product identifiers, aggregating vulnerability metadata from both NVD and MITRE sources, and providing structured context for security teams. For cryptopp's affected products, we extract Common Platform Enumeration (CPE) data, Common Weakness Enumeration (CWE) classifications, CVSS severity metrics, and reference data to enable rapid vulnerability prioritization and asset correlation. This record contains no exploit code, proof-of-concept instructions, or attack methodologies—only defensive intelligence necessary for patch management, risk assessment, and security operations.