Vulnerability Monitor

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CVE-2017-16231

In PCRE 8.41, after compiling, a pcretest load test PoC produces a crash overflow in the function match() in pcre_exec.c because of a self-recursive call. NOTE: third parties dispute the relevance of this report, noting that there are options that can be used to limit the amount of stack that is used

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 1 product from pcre organizations running these solutions should prioritize assessment and patching.

Historical Context

First disclosed in 2019, 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

2019-03-21T15:59:56.217

Last Modified

2024-11-21T03:16:05.193

Status

Modified

Source

[email protected]

Severity

CVSSv3.1: 5.5 (MEDIUM)

CVSSv2 Vector

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

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

Exploitability Score

3.9

Impact Score

2.9

Weaknesses

Type: Primary
CWE-119
Type: Secondary
CWE-119

Affected Vendors & Products

Type	Vendor	Product	Version/Range	Vulnerable?
Application	pcre	pcre	8.41	Yes

References

http://packetstormsecurity.com/files/150897/PCRE-8.41-Buffer-Overflow.html Third Party Advisory, VDB Entry ([email protected])
http://seclists.org/fulldisclosure/2018/Dec/33 Mailing List, Third Party Advisory ([email protected])
http://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2017/11/01/11 Mailing List, Third Party Advisory ([email protected])
http://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2017/11/01/3 Exploit, Mailing List, Third Party Advisory ([email protected])
http://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2017/11/01/7 Mailing List, Third Party Advisory ([email protected])
http://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2017/11/01/8 Exploit, Mailing List, Third Party Advisory ([email protected])
http://www.securityfocus.com/bid/101688 Third Party Advisory, VDB Entry ([email protected])
https://bugs.exim.org/show_bug.cgi?id=2047 Issue Tracking, Third Party Advisory ([email protected])
http://packetstormsecurity.com/files/150897/PCRE-8.41-Buffer-Overflow.html Third Party Advisory, VDB Entry (af854a3a-2127-422b-91ae-364da2661108)
http://seclists.org/fulldisclosure/2018/Dec/33 Mailing List, Third Party Advisory (af854a3a-2127-422b-91ae-364da2661108)
http://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2017/11/01/11 Mailing List, Third Party Advisory (af854a3a-2127-422b-91ae-364da2661108)
http://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2017/11/01/3 Exploit, Mailing List, Third Party Advisory (af854a3a-2127-422b-91ae-364da2661108)
http://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2017/11/01/7 Mailing List, Third Party Advisory (af854a3a-2127-422b-91ae-364da2661108)
http://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2017/11/01/8 Exploit, Mailing List, Third Party Advisory (af854a3a-2127-422b-91ae-364da2661108)
http://www.securityfocus.com/bid/101688 Third Party Advisory, VDB Entry (af854a3a-2127-422b-91ae-364da2661108)
https://bugs.exim.org/show_bug.cgi?id=2047 Issue Tracking, 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 pcre'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.