# CVE-2016-8388: Memory corruption in Argus

> An attacker can execute arbitrary code by tricking Iceni Argus into processing a malformed PDF file that triggers a heap overwrite.

- **Severity:** High 8.8 (`CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/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:** A user has to click or open something
- **Fix available:** No
- **Published:** 28 Feb 2017
- **Updated:** 6 Aug 2024
- **Also known as:** GHSA-xmgr-q253-67mp

## What is CVE-2016-8388?

CVE-2016-8388 is a high-severity memory corruption vulnerability in Iceni Argus, published on 28 Feb 2017. An attacker can exploit it over the internet without logging in, and only if a user opens a file or follows a link.

### Official description

An exploitable arbitrary heap-overwrite vulnerability exists within Iceni Argus. When it attempts to convert a malformed PDF to XML, it will explicitly trust an index within the specific font object and use it to write the font's name to a single object within an array of objects.

Weakness: CWE-125 (Out-of-bounds Read)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2016-8388?

It affects 1 product.


Products: Iceni Argus.

## How do I fix CVE-2016-8388?

No fix has been published for CVE-2016-8388 yet. Limit exposure of the affected software until one is available.

## Is CVE-2016-8388 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2016-8388 in the wild and no public exploit code.

## Other vulnerabilities in Iceni Argus

- [CVE-2011-3332](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2011-3332/): Memory corruption in n/a (critical 10.0)
- [CVE-2017-2777](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2017-2777/): Integer overflow in Argus (high 8.8)
- [CVE-2016-8389](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2016-8389/): Integer overflow in Argus (high 8.8)
- [CVE-2016-8715](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2016-8715/): Memory corruption in Argus (high 8.8)
- [CVE-2016-8385](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2016-8385/): Memory corruption in Argus (high 8.8)

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2016-8388 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2016-8388 is a high-severity memory corruption vulnerability in Iceni Argus, published on 28 Feb 2017. An attacker can exploit it over the internet without logging in, and only if a user opens a file or follows a link.
Exploitation: There is no known exploitation of CVE-2016-8388 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Affected product: Iceni Argus. 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-2016-8388/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2016-8388/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2016-8388
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2016-8388
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2016-8388

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From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2016-8388/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.