CVE-2016-5851

HIGHNVD 8.88.8—
EchelonGraph scoreMEDIUM confidence

This high-severity CVE scores 8.8 under NVD CVSS v3. EPSS exploit probability: 0.9%, top 24% of all CVEs by exploit prediction. GitHub Security Advisory data not yet ingested — confidence will rise once GHSA publishes (typical lag: hours to days for open-source ecosystem CVEs; never for infrastructure-only CVEs).

Triggered by: NVD CVSS baseline
Sources: epss, nvd
8.8
EchelonGraph verdictPlan a fixSerious severity, but no confirmed exploitation yet.
  • High severity, but no confirmed exploitation yet
CISA-KEV: Not listedEPSS: 2%CVSS: 8.8Exploit: NoneExposed: 0

No vendor fix yet — apply a workaround or compensating control (WAF / firewall / segmentation) and watch for a patch.

python-docx before 0.8.6 allows context-dependent attackers to conduct XML External Entity (XXE) attacks via a crafted document.

CVSS v3
8.8
EG Score
8.8(medium)
EPSS
81.8%
KEV
Not listed

Published

December 21, 2016

Last Modified

May 6, 2026

Advisory Details (7)

Auto-updated May 9, 2026
No patch confirmed yet.
generic
http://www.securityfocus.com/bid/91485
generic

oss-security - Re: CVE request - python-docx 0.8.5 - XXE

http://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2016/06/28/8
generic

oss-security - CVE request - python-docx 0.8.5 - XXE

http://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2016/06/28/7
generic

[SECURITY] Fedora 34 Update: python-docx-0.8.11-3.fc34 - package-announce - Fedora mailing-lists

https://lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/package-announce%40lists.fedoraproject.org/message/XU2WSYRNB7CLBBFCGSX34XHACTA2SWDZ/
generic

[SECURITY] Fedora 33 Update: python-docx-0.8.11-3.fc33 - package-announce - Fedora mailing-lists

https://lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/package-announce%40lists.fedoraproject.org/message/6FFMOH7ZPOPQWNJGUZOS5LXX4MGNRXXT/
generic

oxml: don't resolve XML entities in oxml_parser · python-openxml/python-docx@61b40b1 · GitHub

https://github.com/python-openxml/python-docx/commit/61b40b161b64173ab8e362aec1fd197948431beb
generic

python-docx/HISTORY.rst at v0.8.6 · python-openxml/python-docx · GitHub

https://github.com/python-openxml/python-docx/blob/v0.8.6/HISTORY.rst

Affected Packages

(1 across 1 ecosystem)
PyPI(1)
PackageVulnerable rangeFixed inDependents
python-docx0.3.0a1 ... 0.8.5 (25 versions)0.8.6—

Data Freshness Timeline

(refreshed 11× in last 7d / 40× in last 30d)

Each row is a source pipeline that fetched or updated this CVE on that date, with what changed. For example, "NVD update" means NVD published or revised its analysis for this CVE; "MITRE cvelistV5" means we ingested or refreshed it from the CNA feed. Most recent first.

  1. 2026-07-16 16:59 UTCEPSS rescore
  2. 2026-07-16 16:59 UTCEPSS rescore
  3. 2026-07-15 16:54 UTCEPSS rescore
  4. 2026-07-15 16:54 UTCEPSS rescore
  5. 2026-07-15 01:56 UTCEPSS rescore
  6. 2026-07-13 22:26 UTCEPSS rescore
  7. 2026-07-13 06:09 UTCEPSS rescore
  8. 2026-07-12 05:43 UTCEPSS rescore
  9. 2026-07-12 05:43 UTCEPSS rescore
  10. 2026-07-12 05:22 UTCOSV refresh
  11. 2026-07-11 08:24 UTCEPSS rescore
  12. 2026-07-09 19:06 UTCEPSS rescore
  13. 2026-07-08 15:10 UTCEPSS rescore
  14. 2026-07-07 13:42 UTCEPSS rescore
  15. 2026-07-06 16:24 UTCEPSS rescore
  16. 2026-07-06 16:24 UTCEPSS rescore
  17. 2026-07-06 02:20 UTCEPSS rescore
  18. 2026-07-06 02:20 UTCEPSS rescore
  19. 2026-07-05 02:27 UTCEPSS rescore
  20. 2026-07-04 06:28 UTCEPSS rescore
  21. 2026-07-01 15:02 UTCEPSS rescore
  22. 2026-06-30 23:19 UTCEPSS rescore
  23. 2026-06-30 23:19 UTCEPSS rescore
  24. 2026-06-29 14:03 UTCEPSS rescore
  25. 2026-06-28 14:04 UTCEPSS rescore
Show 57 more
  1. 2026-06-28 04:53 UTCEPSS rescore
  2. 2026-06-27 03:05 UTCEPSS rescore
  3. 2026-06-25 13:47 UTCEPSS rescore
  4. 2026-06-24 14:02 UTCEPSS rescore
  5. 2026-06-23 21:30 UTCEPSS rescore
  6. 2026-06-23 11:30 UTCOSV refresh
  7. 2026-06-22 14:23 UTCEPSS rescore
  8. 2026-06-21 14:54 UTCEPSS rescore
  9. 2026-06-21 14:54 UTCEPSS rescore
  10. 2026-06-19 19:23 UTCEPSS rescore
  11. 2026-06-19 19:23 UTCEPSS rescore
  12. 2026-06-18 17:50 UTCEPSS rescore
  13. 2026-06-18 17:50 UTCEPSS rescore
  14. 2026-06-17 17:50 UTCEPSS rescore
  15. 2026-06-17 17:50 UTCEPSS rescore
  16. 2026-06-16 17:50 UTCEPSS rescore
  17. 2026-06-15 17:45 UTCEPSS rescore
  18. 2026-06-14 23:14 UTCEPSS rescore
  19. 2026-06-14 23:14 UTCEPSS rescore
  20. 2026-06-13 22:57 UTCEPSS rescore
  21. 2026-06-13 22:57 UTCEPSS rescore
  22. 2026-06-12 23:09 UTCEPSS rescore
  23. 2026-06-11 13:57 UTCEPSS rescore
  24. 2026-06-08 14:14 UTCEPSS rescore
  25. 2026-06-07 15:22 UTCEPSS rescore
  26. 2026-06-07 15:22 UTCEPSS rescore
  27. 2026-06-06 13:17 UTCOSV refresh
  28. 2026-06-05 22:44 UTCEPSS rescore
  29. 2026-06-05 06:08 UTCEPSS rescore
  30. 2026-06-05 06:08 UTCEPSS rescore
  31. 2026-06-04 13:10 UTCEPSS rescore
  32. 2026-06-04 13:10 UTCEPSS rescore
  33. 2026-06-02 20:10 UTCEPSS rescore
  34. 2026-06-01 13:49 UTCEPSS rescore
  35. 2026-06-01 13:49 UTCEPSS rescore
  36. 2026-05-31 22:28 UTCEPSS rescore
  37. 2026-05-31 22:28 UTCEPSS rescore
  38. 2026-05-31 00:14 UTCEPSS rescore
  39. 2026-05-29 13:41 UTCEPSS rescore
  40. 2026-05-28 13:42 UTCEPSS rescore
  41. 2026-05-28 13:42 UTCEPSS rescore
  42. 2026-05-27 13:38 UTCEPSS rescore
  43. 2026-05-27 13:38 UTCEPSS rescore
  44. 2026-05-26 13:42 UTCEPSS rescore
  45. 2026-05-26 13:42 UTCEPSS rescore
  46. 2026-05-26 07:17 UTCEPSS rescore
  47. 2026-05-24 16:44 UTCEPSS rescore
  48. 2026-05-22 21:15 UTCEPSS rescore
  49. 2026-05-22 17:29 UTCEG score recompute
  50. 2026-05-20 22:37 UTCEPSS rescore
  51. 2026-05-20 22:37 UTCEPSS rescore
  52. 2026-05-20 22:37 UTCEPSS rescore
  53. 2026-05-20 11:21 UTCEPSS rescore
  54. 2026-05-20 11:21 UTCEPSS rescore
  55. 2026-05-18 21:30 UTCEPSS rescore
  56. 2026-05-18 21:30 UTCEPSS rescore
  57. 2026-05-18 21:30 UTCEPSS rescore

Frequently asked(5)

What is CVE-2016-5851?
CVE-2016-5851 is a high vulnerability published on December 21, 2016. python-docx before 0.8.6 allows context-dependent attackers to conduct XML External Entity (XXE) attacks via a crafted document.
When was CVE-2016-5851 disclosed?
CVE-2016-5851 was first published in the National Vulnerability Database on December 21, 2016, with the most recent update on May 6, 2026. EchelonGraph re-ingests CVE updates from NVD on a 2-hour cycle, so this page reflects the latest published state.
Is CVE-2016-5851 actively exploited?
CVE-2016-5851 is not currently on CISA's Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog. FIRST EPSS estimates a 81.8% percentile likelihood of exploitation in the next 30 days — higher percentiles indicate greater predicted risk.
What is the CVSS score of CVE-2016-5851?
CVE-2016-5851 has a CVSS v3 base score of 8.8 (NVD).
How do I remediate CVE-2016-5851?
Patch to the fixed version published by the affected vendor. Where vendor advisories exist for CVE-2016-5851, EchelonGraph cross-links them in the Vendor Advisories panel below — those typically contain the canonical remediation steps, fixed version numbers, and any vendor-specific mitigations.

Dependency Blast Radius

See which npm, PyPI, Go, and Maven packages are affected by CVE-2016-5851

Explore →

Is Your Infrastructure Affected by CVE-2016-5851?

EchelonGraph automatically scans your cloud infrastructure and maps CVE exposure using blast radius analysis.

Start Free Scan →Browse All CVEs