CVE-2016-20037 xwpe 1.5.30a-2.1 Stack-based Buffer Overflow
Local attackers can execute arbitrary code or cause denial of service in xwpe by supplying overly long command-line arguments that trigger a stack-based buffer overflow.
- Exploited in the wild
- Not known
- Login needed
- Not needed
- Attackable
- Local or same network only
- Victim action needed
- Not needed
- Fix
- None listed
What is CVE-2016-20037?
CVE-2016-20037 is a high-severity memory corruption vulnerability in Identicalsoftware xWPE, published on 28 Mar 2026. It can only be exploited from the same machine or local network, with no action from the victim.
Official description
xwpe 1.5.30a-2.1 and prior contains a stack-based buffer overflow vulnerability that allows local attackers to execute arbitrary code by supplying overly long input strings that exceed buffer boundaries. Attackers can craft malicious command-line arguments with 262 bytes of junk data followed by shellcode to overwrite the instruction pointer and achieve code execution or denial of service.
Weakness: CWE-787
Which versions are affected by CVE-2016-20037?
How do I fix CVE-2016-20037?
No fix has been published for CVE-2016-20037 yet. Limit exposure of the affected software until one is available.
Upgrade to the fixed version. Memory-safe languages, compiler hardening and fuzzing prevent most new cases. More about Memory corruption.
Is CVE-2016-20037 being exploited?
It is not confirmed as exploited in the wild, but public exploit code for CVE-2016-20037 exists.
Sources
Also known as GHSA-h5rx-j6xv-4329, UBUNTU-CVE-2016-20037.