CVE-2016-8617 Memory corruption in curl

Low 3.3 Published 31 Jul 2018 Updated 16 Apr 2026

A buffer under-allocation in curl's base64 encoder on 32-bit systems allows attackers to cause memory corruption via large inputs.

Exploited in the wild: Not known
Login needed: Any signed-in user
Attackable: Local or same network only
Victim action needed: Not needed
Fix: Available

What is CVE-2016-8617?

CVE-2016-8617 is a low-severity memory corruption vulnerability in Haxx Curl, published on 31 Jul 2018. It can only be exploited from the same machine or local network, with no action from the victim.

Official description

The base64 encode function in curl before version 7.51.0 is prone to a buffer being under allocated in 32bit systems if it receives at least 1Gb as input via `CURLOPT_USERNAME`.

Weakness: CWE-787

Which versions are affected by CVE-2016-8617?

It affects 1 product.

Products include Haxx Curl.

How do I fix CVE-2016-8617?

Upgrade to a fixed version.

Upgrade to the fixed version. Memory-safe languages, compiler hardening and fuzzing prevent most new cases. More about Memory corruption.

Is CVE-2016-8617 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2016-8617 in the wild and no public exploit code.

All Haxx Curl vulnerabilities

Sources

Also known as ALPINE-CVE-2016-8617, CLEANSTART-2026-JY24927, CURL-CVE-2016-8617, DEBIAN-CVE-2016-8617, GHSA-hjj8-p7vc-2hh7, UBUNTU-CVE-2016-8617.