# CVE-2016-20043: NRSS RSS Reader 0.3.9-1 Stack Buffer Overflow

> Local attackers can execute arbitrary code via a stack buffer overflow in NRSS RSS Reader by supplying an oversized argument to the -F parameter.

- **Severity:** High 8.6 (`CVSS:4.0/AV:L/AC:L/AT:N/PR:N/UI:N/VC:H/VI:H/VA:H/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N`)
- **Exploited in the wild:** Not known
- **Login needed:** Not needed
- **Attackable:** Local or same network only
- **Victim action needed:** Not needed
- **Fix available:** No
- **Published:** 28 Mar 2026
- **Updated:** 30 Mar 2026
- **Also known as:** GHSA-7wfp-phxm-p655, UBUNTU-CVE-2016-20043

## What is CVE-2016-20043?

CVE-2016-20043 is a high-severity memory corruption vulnerability in NRSS Reader, 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

NRSS RSS Reader 0.3.9-1 contains a stack buffer overflow vulnerability that allows local attackers to execute arbitrary code by supplying an oversized argument to the -F parameter. Attackers can craft a malicious input with 256 bytes of padding followed by a controlled EIP value to overwrite the return address and achieve code execution.

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

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2016-20043?

It affects 1 product.


Products: Nrss Nrss.

## How do I fix CVE-2016-20043?

No fix has been published for CVE-2016-20043 yet. Limit exposure of the affected software until one is available.

## Is CVE-2016-20043 being exploited?

It is not confirmed as exploited in the wild, but public exploit code for CVE-2016-20043 exists.

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2016-20043 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2016-20043 is a high-severity memory corruption vulnerability in NRSS Reader, published on 28 Mar 2026. It can only be exploited from the same machine or local network, with no action from the victim.
Exploitation: It is not confirmed as exploited in the wild, but public exploit code for CVE-2016-20043 exists.

Affected product: NRSS Reader. 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-2016-20043/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2016-20043/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2016-20043
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2016-20043
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2016-20043

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From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2016-20043/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.