# CVE-2016-10221: Denial of service in n/a

> Remote attackers can cause a denial of service via stack consumption and application crash in MuPDF by using a crafted PDF document.

- **Severity:** Medium 4.3 (`CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:L`)
- **Exploited in the wild:** Not known
- **Login needed:** Not needed
- **Attackable:** Over the internet
- **Victim action needed:** A user has to click or open something
- **Fix available:** Yes
- **Published:** 3 Apr 2017
- **Updated:** 16 Sep 2024
- **Also known as:** GHSA-jwjv-fmrc-5c85

## What is CVE-2016-10221?

CVE-2016-10221 is a medium-severity denial of service vulnerability in Artifex Mupdf, published on 3 Apr 2017. An attacker can exploit it over the internet without logging in, and only if a user opens a file or follows a link.

### Official description

The count_entries function in pdf-layer.c in Artifex Software, Inc. MuPDF 1.10a allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (stack consumption and application crash) via a crafted PDF document.

Weakness: CWE-119 (Improper Restriction of Operations within the Bounds of a Memory Buffer)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2016-10221?

It affects 1 product.


Products: Artifex Mupdf.

## How do I fix CVE-2016-10221?

Upgrade to a fixed version.

## Is CVE-2016-10221 being exploited?

It is not confirmed as exploited in the wild, but public exploit code for CVE-2016-10221 exists.

## Other vulnerabilities in Artifex Mupdf

- [CVE-2019-7321](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2019-7321/): Memory corruption in n/a (critical 9.8)
- [CVE-2016-6525](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2016-6525/): Memory corruption in n/a (critical 9.8)
- [CVE-2011-0341](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2011-0341/): Memory corruption in n/a (critical 9.3)
- [CVE-2016-8728](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2016-8728/): Memory corruption in MuPDF (high 8.6)
- [CVE-2021-3407](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2021-3407/): Use after free in mupdf (high 7.8)

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2016-10221 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2016-10221 is a medium-severity denial of service vulnerability in Artifex Mupdf, published on 3 Apr 2017. An attacker can exploit it over the internet without logging in, and only if a user opens a file or follows a link.
Exploitation: It is not confirmed as exploited in the wild, but public exploit code for CVE-2016-10221 exists.

Affected product: Artifex Mupdf. No package-level version data is available, so check the vendor advisory linked from the reference page.

Task:
1. Search the dependency manifests and lockfiles (for example package.json, package-lock.json, requirements.txt, poetry.lock, uv.lock, pom.xml, build.gradle, go.mod, Cargo.lock, Gemfile.lock) and any Dockerfiles for the affected packages, including transitive dependencies.
2. If an affected version is in use, upgrade it to the fixed version for its release line with the project's package manager, so the lockfile is regenerated. Prefer the smallest upgrade that fixes it.
3. If there is no fix, or the upgrade would break the build, do not guess: explain the risk and the safest workaround instead.
4. Run the tests and summarise what changed and why.
5. If nothing in the project is affected, say so and change nothing.

Reference: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2016-10221/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2016-10221/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2016-10221
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2016-10221
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2016-10221

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From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2016-10221/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.