# CVE-2016-10708: Null dereference in n/a > Remote attackers can crash the OpenSSH daemon by sending an out-of-sequence NEWKEYS message, causing a denial of service. - **Severity:** High 7.5 (`CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H`) - **Exploited in the wild:** Not known - **Login needed:** Not needed - **Attackable:** Over the internet - **Victim action needed:** Not needed - **Fix available:** Yes - **Published:** 21 Jan 2018 - **Updated:** 29 Apr 2026 - **Also known as:** DEBIAN-CVE-2016-10708, DLA-1257-1, GHSA-fq52-jg4q-73hp, SUSE-SU-2018:1989-1, SUSE-SU-2018:2530-1, SUSE-SU-2018:2530-2, UBUNTU-CVE-2016-10708 ## What is CVE-2016-10708? CVE-2016-10708 is a high-severity vulnerability in Canonical Ubuntu Linux, published on 21 Jan 2018. An attacker can exploit it over the internet without logging in, with no action from the victim. ### Official description sshd in OpenSSH before 7.4 allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (NULL pointer dereference and daemon crash) via an out-of-sequence NEWKEYS message, as demonstrated by Honggfuzz, related to kex.c and packet.c. Weakness: CWE-476 (NULL Pointer Dereference) ## Which versions are affected by CVE-2016-10708? It affects 12 products. | Package | Ecosystem | Affected | Fixed in | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | `openssh` | SUSE:Enterprise Storage 4 | All versions | 7.2p2-74.25.1 | | `openssh-askpass-gnome` | SUSE:Enterprise Storage 4 | All versions | 7.2p2-74.25.1 | | `openssh` | SUSE:Linux Enterprise Desktop 12 SP3 | All versions | 7.2p2-74.19.1 | | `openssh-askpass-gnome` | SUSE:Linux Enterprise Desktop 12 SP3 | All versions | 7.2p2-74.19.1 | | `openssh` | SUSE:Linux Enterprise Server 12 SP2-BCL | All versions | 7.2p2-74.25.1 | | `openssh-askpass-gnome` | SUSE:Linux Enterprise Server 12 SP2-BCL | All versions | 7.2p2-74.25.1 | | `openssh` | SUSE:Linux Enterprise Server 12 SP2-LTSS | All versions | 7.2p2-74.25.1 | | `openssh-askpass-gnome` | SUSE:Linux Enterprise Server 12 SP2-LTSS | All versions | 7.2p2-74.25.1 | | `openssh` | SUSE:Linux Enterprise Server 12 SP3 | All versions | 7.2p2-74.19.1 | | `openssh-askpass-gnome` | SUSE:Linux Enterprise Server 12 SP3 | All versions | 7.2p2-74.19.1 | | `openssh` | SUSE:Linux Enterprise Server for SAP Applications 12 SP2 | All versions | 7.2p2-74.25.1 | | `openssh-askpass-gnome` | SUSE:Linux Enterprise Server for SAP Applications 12 SP2 | All versions | 7.2p2-74.25.1 | | `openssh` | SUSE:Linux Enterprise Server for SAP Applications 12 SP3 | All versions | 7.2p2-74.19.1 | | `openssh-askpass-gnome` | SUSE:Linux Enterprise Server for SAP Applications 12 SP3 | All versions | 7.2p2-74.19.1 | | `openssh` | SUSE:OpenStack Cloud 7 | All versions | 7.2p2-74.25.1 | | `openssh-askpass-gnome` | SUSE:OpenStack Cloud 7 | All versions | 7.2p2-74.25.1 | Products: Canonical Ubuntu Linux, Debian Debian Linux, Netapp Cloud Backup, Netapp Clustered Data Ontap, Netapp Data Ontap, Netapp Data Ontap Edge, Netapp Oncommand Unified Manager, Netapp Service Processor, Netapp Storagegrid, Netapp Storagegrid Webscale, Netapp Vasa Provider, OpenSSH. ## How do I fix CVE-2016-10708? Upgrade to a fixed version. ## Is CVE-2016-10708 being exploited? There is no known exploitation of CVE-2016-10708 in the wild and no public exploit code. Public exploit code: - This proof-of-concept script exploits a vulnerability in OpenSSH versions prior to 7.4 (CVE-2016-10708) by sending unexpected `SSH_MSG_NEWKEYS` packets. (github_poc): https://github.com/lggcs/CVE-2016-10708 ## Other vulnerabilities in Canonical Ubuntu Linux - [CVE-2020-11651](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2020-11651/): SaltStack Salt Authentication Bypass (critical 9.8, exploited in the wild) - [CVE-2020-7247](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2020-7247/): OpenSMTPD Remote Code Execution (critical 9.8, exploited in the wild) - [CVE-2019-16928](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2019-16928/): Exim Out-of-bounds Write (critical 9.8, exploited in the wild) - [CVE-2018-6789](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2018-6789/): Exim Buffer Overflow (critical 9.8, exploited in the wild) - [CVE-2015-2590](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2015-2590/): Oracle Java SE and Java SE Embedded Remote Code Execution (critical 9.8, exploited in the wild) ## Fix prompt for AI coding agents ```text Check this codebase for CVE-2016-10708 and fix it if it is affected. What it is: CVE-2016-10708 is a high-severity vulnerability in Canonical Ubuntu Linux, published on 21 Jan 2018. An attacker can exploit it over the internet without logging in, with no action from the victim. Exploitation: There is no known exploitation of CVE-2016-10708 in the wild and no public exploit code. Affected product: Canonical Ubuntu Linux. 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-2016-10708/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2016-10708/index.md) ``` ## Sources - CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2016-10708 - NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2016-10708 - OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2016-10708 --- From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2016-10708/ Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.