Vulnerability Monitor

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CVE-2016-7796

The manager_dispatch_notify_fd function in systemd allows local users to cause a denial of service (system hang) via a zero-length message received over a notify socket, which causes an error to be returned and the notification handler to be disabled.

Security Impact Summary

This vulnerability carries a MEDIUM severity rating with a CVSS v3.1 score of 5.5, requiring local system access to exploit with relatively low complexity without requiring user interaction requiring only low-level privileges . The vulnerability impacts and availability (service disruption) for affected systems. Impacting 9 products from systemd_project, from novell, from novell and 6 others, 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

2016-10-13T14:59:14.567

Last Modified

2026-05-06T22:30:45.220

Status

Modified

Source

[email protected]

Severity

CVSSv3.0: 5.5 (MEDIUM)

CVSSv2 Vector

AV:L/AC:L/Au:N/C:N/I:N/A:C

Access Vector: LOCAL
Access Complexity: LOW
Authentication: NONE
Confidentiality Impact: NONE
Integrity Impact: NONE
Availability Impact: COMPLETE

Exploitability Score

3.9

Impact Score

6.9

Weaknesses

Type: Primary
CWE-20

Affected Vendors & Products

Type	Vendor	Product	Version/Range	Vulnerable?
Application	systemd_project	systemd	209	Yes
Application	systemd_project	systemd	213	Yes
Application	systemd_project	systemd	214	Yes
Application	systemd_project	systemd	229	Yes
Application	novell	suse_linux_enterprise_software_development_kit	12.0	Yes
Operating System	novell	suse_linux_enterprise_desktop	12	Yes
Operating System	novell	suse_linux_enterprise_server	12.0	Yes
Operating System	novell	suse_linux_enterprise_server	12.0	Yes
Operating System	novell	suse_linux_enterprise_server_for_sap	12.0	Yes
Operating System	redhat	enterprise_linux_desktop	7.0	Yes
Operating System	redhat	enterprise_linux_hpc_node	7.0	Yes
Operating System	redhat	enterprise_linux_server	7.0	Yes
Operating System	redhat	enterprise_linux_workstation	7.0	Yes

References

http://lists.opensuse.org/opensuse-security-announce/2016-10/msg00015.html Third Party Advisory ([email protected])
http://lists.opensuse.org/opensuse-security-announce/2016-10/msg00016.html Third Party Advisory ([email protected])
http://rhn.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2017-0003.html ([email protected])
http://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2016/09/30/1 Third Party Advisory ([email protected])
http://www.securityfocus.com/bid/93250 Third Party Advisory ([email protected])
http://www.securitytracker.com/id/1037320 ([email protected])
https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=1381911 Issue Tracking, Third Party Advisory, VDB Entry ([email protected])
https://github.com/systemd/systemd/issues/4234#issuecomment-250441246 Exploit, Patch, Vendor Advisory ([email protected])
https://rhn.redhat.com/errata/RHBA-2015-2092.html Third Party Advisory ([email protected])
https://www.agwa.name/blog/post/how_to_crash_systemd_in_one_tweet Exploit, Technical Description, Third Party Advisory ([email protected])
http://lists.opensuse.org/opensuse-security-announce/2016-10/msg00015.html Third Party Advisory (af854a3a-2127-422b-91ae-364da2661108)
http://lists.opensuse.org/opensuse-security-announce/2016-10/msg00016.html Third Party Advisory (af854a3a-2127-422b-91ae-364da2661108)
http://rhn.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2017-0003.html (af854a3a-2127-422b-91ae-364da2661108)
http://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2016/09/30/1 Third Party Advisory (af854a3a-2127-422b-91ae-364da2661108)
http://www.securityfocus.com/bid/93250 Third Party Advisory (af854a3a-2127-422b-91ae-364da2661108)
http://www.securitytracker.com/id/1037320 (af854a3a-2127-422b-91ae-364da2661108)
https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=1381911 Issue Tracking, Third Party Advisory, VDB Entry (af854a3a-2127-422b-91ae-364da2661108)
https://github.com/systemd/systemd/issues/4234#issuecomment-250441246 Exploit, Patch, Vendor Advisory (af854a3a-2127-422b-91ae-364da2661108)
https://rhn.redhat.com/errata/RHBA-2015-2092.html Third Party Advisory (af854a3a-2127-422b-91ae-364da2661108)
https://www.agwa.name/blog/post/how_to_crash_systemd_in_one_tweet Exploit, Technical Description, 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 systemd_project'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.