Skip to main content
Public proof of conceptFix available

CVE-2016-9793

A public proof of concept exists; no exploitation attested.

  • Published2016-12-28
  • Fixed in4.8.14 · 4.4.38 · 4.1.50 · 3.18.52 · 3.16.40 · 3.12.69
  • WeaknessCWE-119

Am I affected?

With a domain, we read the version its public headers and pages expose. A distribution build can carry the fix under an older number.

Description

The sock_setsockopt function in net/core/sock.c in the Linux kernel before 4.8.14 mishandles negative values of sk_sndbuf and sk_rcvbuf, which allows local users to cause a denial of service (memory corruption and system crash) or possibly have unspecified other impact by leveraging the CAP_NET_ADMIN capability for a crafted setsockopt system call with the (1) SO_SNDBUFFORCE or (2) SO_RCVBUFFORCE option.

Timeline

dates in UTC
  1. 2016-12-2807:59CVE publishedNVD
  2. 2026-10-2319:23First public proof of conceptPoC-in-GitHub

Observed activity

isMalicious corpus · updated 2026-10-23 18:48 UTC
Indicators tagged with this CVE, per day0 indicators over 7 days
Block these indicators
  • Firewall list (EDL, text): https://api.ismalicious.com/edl/cve/CVE-2016-9793?format=txt
  • CSV export: https://api.ismalicious.com/edl/cve/CVE-2016-9793?format=csv
  • TAXII collection of exploited CVEs
  • The EDL and CSV take an API key on the Pro plan.

Versions per branch

NVD
Linux linux kernel
BranchAffectedFixed in
4.x≥ 4.5, < 4.8.144.8.14
4.x≥ 4.2, < 4.4.384.4.38
4.1≥ 3.19, < 4.1.504.1.50
3.x≥ 3.17, < 3.18.523.18.52
3.x≥ 3.13, < 3.16.403.16.40
3.x≥ 3.5, < 3.12.693.12.69

as publishedRanges as NVD and OSV publish them; a distribution’s build can be fixed under an older number.

Fix

  1. Update Linux linux kernel to 4.8.14 · 4.4.38 · 4.1.50 · 3.18.52 · 3.16.40 · 3.12.69

Advisories and patches

Detection

read 2026-10-23 19:23 UTC
Nuclei template
none so far
ProjectDiscovery
Exploit-DB
no entry
Exploit-DB
Proof-of-concept repositories
1 repository, unverifiedWhatsWrongAndWhy/CVE-2016-9793
PoC-in-GitHub

Sources

  • NVDCVSS 3.17.8read 2026-10-23
  • NVDCVSS 2.07.2read 2026-10-23
  • NVDweakness (CWE)CWE-119read 2026-10-23
  • FIRST EPSSEPSS score1.6 %2026-10-22
  • PoC-in-GitHubproof of concept1read 2026-10-23

Technical details

CVSS v3 Vector
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
Published
2016-12-28
Last Modified
2026-06-17
NVD status
Modified

Frequently asked questions

What is CVE-2016-9793?

The sock_setsockopt function in net/core/sock.c in the Linux kernel before 4.8.14 mishandles negative values of sk_sndbuf and sk_rcvbuf, which allows local users to cause a denial of service (memory corruption and system crash) or possibly have unspecified other impact by leveraging the CAP_NET_ADMIN capability for a crafted setsockopt system call with the (1) SO_SNDBUFFORCE or (2) SO_RCVBUFFORCE option.

Is CVE-2016-9793 actively exploited?

Active exploitation of CVE-2016-9793 has not been confirmed. Its EPSS score was 1.6% on 2026-10-22, the estimated probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.

What is the CVSS score for CVE-2016-9793?

CVE-2016-9793 has a CVSS v3 base score of 7.8 (HIGH severity), with vector string CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H.

Hear about the next vulnerability in your software

Surveillance reads the versions in your stack — a domain, a lockfile or a list — checks each CVE against the ranges its sources publish, and alerts you when one you run is exploited or enters CISA KEV. A version it cannot read stays « version not verified ».

Get alerts for this productCISA KEV additions, October 2026Search CVEs

No credit card required · No monthly cap on website lookups · 250 API requests/month

Go further

Related vulnerabilities

Same product first, then the same vendor advisory and the same publication week.

Back to CVE Database