# CVE-2016-9841: Memory corruption in n/a

> Improper pointer arithmetic in zlib allows attackers to cause memory corruption, potentially leading to code execution or denial of service.

- **Severity:** Critical 9.8 (`CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/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:** Not needed
- **Fix available:** Yes
- **Published:** 23 May 2017
- **Updated:** 8 Oct 2026
- **Also known as:** ALPINE-CVE-2016-9841, AZL-44316, AZL-45087, DEBIAN-CVE-2016-9841, GHSA-5f8r-846v-423w, MINI-r579-p8jx-9rh9, OESA-2023-1422, PSF-2017-3, UBUNTU-CVE-2016-9841

## What is CVE-2016-9841?

CVE-2016-9841 is a critical memory corruption vulnerability in Apple Iphone Os, published on 23 May 2017. An attacker can exploit it over the internet without logging in, with no action from the victim.

### Official description

inffast.c in zlib 1.2.8 might allow context-dependent attackers to have unspecified impact by leveraging improper pointer arithmetic.

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2016-9841?

It affects 39 products.


Products: Apple Iphone Os, Apple Mac Os X, Apple Tvos, Apple Watchos, Canonical Ubuntu Linux, Debian Debian Linux, Netapp Active Iq Unified Manager, Netapp Cloud Backup, Netapp E-Series Santricity Management, Netapp E-Series Santricity Os Controller, Netapp E-Series Santricity Storage Manager, Netapp E-Series Santricity Web Services, Netapp Hci Storage Node, Netapp Oncommand Balance, Netapp Oncommand Insight, Netapp Oncommand Performance Manager, Netapp Oncommand Shift, Netapp Oncommand Unified Manager, Netapp Oncommand Workflow Automation, Netapp Snapmanager and 19 more.

## How do I fix CVE-2016-9841?

Upgrade to a fixed version.

## Is CVE-2016-9841 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2016-9841 in the wild and no public exploit code.

## Other vulnerabilities in Apple Iphone Os

- [CVE-2021-30666](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2021-30666/): Apple iOS WebKit Buffer Overflow (high 8.8, exploited in the wild)
- [CVE-2021-30761](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2021-30761/): Apple iOS WebKit Memory Corruption (high 8.8, exploited in the wild)
- [CVE-2021-30762](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2021-30762/): Apple iOS WebKit Use-After-Free (high 8.8, exploited in the wild)
- [CVE-2016-4657](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2016-4657/): Apple iOS Webkit Memory Corruption (high 8.8, exploited in the wild)
- [CVE-2019-7286](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2019-7286/): Apple Multiple Products Memory Corruption (high 7.8, exploited in the wild)

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2016-9841 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2016-9841 is a critical memory corruption vulnerability in Apple Iphone Os, published on 23 May 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-2016-9841 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Affected product: Apple Iphone Os. 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-2016-9841/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2016-9841/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2016-9841
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2016-9841
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2016-9841

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2016-9841/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.