# CVE-2016-20009: Memory corruption in n/a

> A stack-based buffer overflow in the DNS client allows attackers to execute arbitrary code or cause denial of service on unsupported VxWorks systems.

- **Severity:** Critical 9.8 (`CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H`)
- **Exploited in the wild:** Not known
- **Login needed:** Not needed
- **Attackable:** Over the internet
- **Victim action needed:** Not needed
- **Fix available:** No
- **Published:** 11 Mar 2021
- **Updated:** 6 Aug 2024
- **Also known as:** GHSA-347g-p4qh-9qw2

## What is CVE-2016-20009?

CVE-2016-20009 is a critical memory corruption vulnerability in n/a, published on 11 Mar 2021. An attacker can exploit it over the internet without logging in, with no action from the victim.

### Official description

A DNS client stack-based buffer overflow in ipdnsc_decode_name() affects Wind River VxWorks 6.5 through 7. NOTE: This vulnerability only affects products that are no longer supported by the maintainer

Weakness: CWE-787 (Out-of-bounds Write)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2016-20009?

It affects 8 products.


Products: Siemens Sgt-100 Firmware, Siemens Sgt-200 Firmware, Siemens Sgt-300 Firmware, Siemens Sgt-400 Firmware, Siemens Sgt-A20 Firmware, Siemens Sgt-A35 Firmware, Siemens Sgt-A65 Firmware, Windriver Vxworks.

## How do I fix CVE-2016-20009?

No fix has been published for CVE-2016-20009 yet. Limit exposure of the affected software until one is available.

## Is CVE-2016-20009 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2016-20009 in the wild and no public exploit code.

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2016-20009 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2016-20009 is a critical memory corruption vulnerability in n/a, published on 11 Mar 2021. 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-2016-20009 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-2016-20009/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2016-20009/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2016-20009
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2016-20009
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2016-20009

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2016-20009/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.