# CVE-2016-4544: Memory corruption in n/a

> Remote attackers can cause denial of service via crafted TIFF header data in the PHP exif extension due to missing validation.

- **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:** Yes
- **Published:** 22 May 2016
- **Updated:** 6 Aug 2024
- **Also known as:** GHSA-4c9m-5jff-5f83, UBUNTU-CVE-2016-4544

## What is CVE-2016-4544?

CVE-2016-4544 is a critical memory corruption vulnerability in Debian Debian Linux, published on 22 May 2016. An attacker can exploit it over the internet without logging in, with no action from the victim.

### Official description

The exif_process_TIFF_in_JPEG function in ext/exif/exif.c in PHP before 5.5.35, 5.6.x before 5.6.21, and 7.x before 7.0.6 does not validate TIFF start data, which allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (out-of-bounds read) or possibly have unspecified other impact via crafted header data.

Weakness: CWE-119 (Improper Restriction of Operations within the Bounds of a Memory Buffer)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2016-4544?

It affects 5 products.


Products: Debian Debian Linux, Fedoraproject Fedora, Opensuse Leap, Opensuse Opensuse, Php Php.

## How do I fix CVE-2016-4544?

Upgrade to a fixed version.

## Is CVE-2016-4544 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2016-4544 in the wild and no public exploit code.

## Other vulnerabilities in Debian Debian Linux

- [CVE-2015-3306](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2015-3306/): ProFTPD Improper Access Control (critical 10.0, exploited in the wild)
- [CVE-2025-49113](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2025-49113/): RoundCube Webmail Deserialization of Untrusted Data (critical 9.9, exploited in the wild)
- [CVE-2026-24061](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-24061/): GNU InetUtils Argument Injection (critical 9.8, exploited in the wild)
- [CVE-2025-39682](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2025-39682/): Linux Kernel Improper Check for Unusual or Exceptional Conditions (critical 9.8, exploited in the wild)
- [CVE-2024-9680](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2024-9680/): Mozilla Firefox Use-After-Free (critical 9.8, exploited in the wild)

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2016-4544 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2016-4544 is a critical memory corruption vulnerability in Debian Debian Linux, published on 22 May 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-2016-4544 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Affected product: Debian Debian 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-2016-4544/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2016-4544/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2016-4544
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2016-4544
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2016-4544

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2016-4544/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.