# CVE-2016-1731: Security feature bypass in n/a

> Man-in-the-middle attackers can spoof software updates by intercepting unencrypted HTTP traffic, potentially leading to arbitrary code execution on Windows systems.

- **Severity:** Medium 5.9 (`CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:H/A:N`)
- **Exploited in the wild:** Not known
- **Login needed:** Not needed
- **Attackable:** Over the internet
- **Victim action needed:** Not needed
- **Fix available:** No
- **Published:** 14 Mar 2016
- **Updated:** 5 Aug 2024
- **Also known as:** GHSA-84jp-xm4r-m85m

## What is CVE-2016-1731?

CVE-2016-1731 is a medium-severity vulnerability in n/a, published on 14 Mar 2016. An attacker can exploit it over the internet without logging in, with no action from the victim.

### Official description

Apple Software Update before 2.2 on Windows does not use HTTPS, which makes it easier for man-in-the-middle attackers to spoof updates by modifying the client-server data stream.

Weakness: CWE-345 (Insufficient Verification of Data Authenticity), CWE-310

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2016-1731?

It affects 1 product.


Products: Apple Software Update.

## How do I fix CVE-2016-1731?

No fix has been published for CVE-2016-1731 yet. Limit exposure of the affected software until one is available.

## Is CVE-2016-1731 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2016-1731 in the wild and no public exploit code.

## Other vulnerabilities in n/a

- [CVE-2007-0463](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2007-0463/): Other in n/a (medium 5.0)

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2016-1731 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2016-1731 is a medium-severity vulnerability in n/a, published on 14 Mar 2016. 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-2016-1731 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Affected product: n/a. 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-2016-1731/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2016-1731/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2016-1731
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2016-1731
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2016-1731

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2016-1731/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.