# CVE-2016-7544: Use after free in n/a

> Incorrect memory management in Crypto++ can lead to freeing the wrong pointer, potentially causing crashes or arbitrary code execution.

- **Severity:** High 7.5 (`CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/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:** 30 Jan 2017
- **Updated:** 6 Aug 2024
- **Also known as:** GHSA-3wp6-w2rj-8433

## What is CVE-2016-7544?

CVE-2016-7544 is a high-severity use after free vulnerability in n/a, published on 30 Jan 2017. An attacker can exploit it over the internet without logging in, with no action from the victim.

### Official description

Crypto++ 5.6.4 incorrectly uses Microsoft's stack-based _malloca and _freea functions. The library will request a block of memory to align a table in memory. If the table is later reallocated, then the wrong pointer could be freed.

Weakness: CWE-399

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2016-7544?

It affects 1 product.


Products: Cryptopp Crypto\+\+.

## How do I fix CVE-2016-7544?

No fix has been published for CVE-2016-7544 yet. Limit exposure of the affected software until one is available.

## Is CVE-2016-7544 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2016-7544 in the wild and no public exploit code.

## Other vulnerabilities in n/a

- [CVE-2023-50980](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2023-50980/): Denial of service in n/a (high 7.5)
- [CVE-2023-50981](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2023-50981/): Denial of service in n/a (high 7.5)
- [CVE-2022-48570](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2022-48570/): Information disclosure in n/a (high 7.5)
- [CVE-2016-3995](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2016-3995/): Information disclosure in n/a (high 7.5)
- [CVE-2016-9939](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2016-9939/): Denial of service in n/a (high 7.5)

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2016-7544 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2016-7544 is a high-severity use after free vulnerability in n/a, published on 30 Jan 2017. 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-2016-7544 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-2016-7544/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2016-7544/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2016-7544
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2016-7544
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2016-7544

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2016-7544/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.