# CVE-2016-9166: Security feature bypass in NetIQ eDirectory

> Attackers can downgrade communication security in NetIQ eDirectory, potentially exposing sensitive data or enabling man-in-the-middle attacks.

- **Severity:** High 7.5 (`CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:H/A:N`)
- **Exploited in the wild:** Not known
- **Login needed:** Not needed
- **Attackable:** Over the internet
- **Victim action needed:** Not needed
- **Fix available:** No
- **Published:** 18 Mar 2019
- **Updated:** 6 Aug 2024
- **Also known as:** GHSA-x4r4-hg47-5wwr

## What is CVE-2016-9166?

CVE-2016-9166 is a high-severity vulnerability in NetIQ eDirectory, published on 18 Mar 2019. An attacker can exploit it over the internet without logging in, with no action from the victim.

### Official description

NetIQ eDirectory versions prior to 9.0.2, under some circumstances, could be susceptible to downgrade of communication security.

Weakness: CWE-264

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2016-9166?

It affects 1 product.


Products: Microfocus Netiq Edirectory.

## How do I fix CVE-2016-9166?

No fix has been published for CVE-2016-9166 yet. Limit exposure of the affected software until one is available.

## Is CVE-2016-9166 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2016-9166 in the wild and no public exploit code.

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2016-9166 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2016-9166 is a high-severity vulnerability in NetIQ eDirectory, published on 18 Mar 2019. 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-2016-9166 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Affected product: NetIQ eDirectory. 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-2016-9166/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2016-9166/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2016-9166
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2016-9166
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2016-9166

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From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2016-9166/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.