# CVE-2016-5714: Security feature bypass in n/a

> Remote attackers can bypass host whitelist protections to execute arbitrary code on Puppet nodes due to flawed command validation.

- **Severity:** High 7.2 (`CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H`)
- **Exploited in the wild:** Not known
- **Login needed:** An administrator
- **Attackable:** Over the internet
- **Victim action needed:** Not needed
- **Fix available:** Yes
- **Published:** 18 Oct 2017
- **Updated:** 6 Aug 2024
- **Also known as:** DEBIAN-CVE-2016-5714, GHSA-4h9c-3928-3w6h

## What is CVE-2016-5714?

CVE-2016-5714 is a high-severity vulnerability in Puppet Puppet Enterprise, published on 18 Oct 2017. An attacker needs administrator access to exploit it, with no action from the victim.

### Official description

Puppet Enterprise 2015.3.3 and 2016.x before 2016.4.0, and Puppet Agent 1.3.6 through 1.7.0 allow remote attackers to bypass a host whitelist protection mechanism and execute arbitrary code on Puppet nodes via vectors related to command validation, aka "Puppet Execution Protocol (PXP) Command Whitelist Validation Vulnerability."

Weakness: CWE-284 (Improper Access Control)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2016-5714?

It affects 2 products.


Products: Puppet Puppet Agent, Puppet Puppet Enterprise.

## How do I fix CVE-2016-5714?

Upgrade to a fixed version.

## Is CVE-2016-5714 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2016-5714 in the wild and no public exploit code.

## Other vulnerabilities in Puppet Puppet Enterprise

- [CVE-2016-5713](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2016-5713/): Versions of Puppet Agent prior to 1.6.0 included a version of the Puppet Execution Protocol (PXP) agent that passed environment variables through to Puppet runs. (critical 9.8)
- [CVE-2016-2786](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2016-2786/): Security feature bypass in n/a (critical 9.8)

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2016-5714 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2016-5714 is a high-severity vulnerability in Puppet Puppet Enterprise, published on 18 Oct 2017. An attacker needs administrator access to exploit it, with no action from the victim.
Exploitation: There is no known exploitation of CVE-2016-5714 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Affected product: Puppet Puppet Enterprise. 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-2016-5714/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2016-5714/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2016-5714
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2016-5714
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2016-5714

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2016-5714/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.