Format string vulnerability in Dropbear SSH before 2016.74 allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code via format string specifiers in the (1) username or (2) host argument.
CVE-2016-7406
Score 9.8 from GitHub Security Advisory (severity: CRITICAL) published 2022-05-17. NVD baseline CVSS 9.8; sources differ by 0.0.
- High severity, but no confirmed exploitation yet
No vendor fix yet — apply a workaround or compensating control (WAF / firewall / segmentation) and watch for a patch.
- CVSS v3
- 9.8
- EG Score
- 9.8(medium)
- EG Risk
- 65(Track*)EG Risk 65/100SSVC: Track*
EG Risk is EchelonGraph's 0–100 priority score: it fuses intrinsic severity with real-world exploitation and automatability so you can rank equal-severity CVEs and fix the most dangerous first. Higher = act sooner. Distinct from the 0–10 EG Score (severity).
How it’s computedSeverity98% × 45%Exploitation40% × 40%Automatability30% × 15%Action: Watch closely — could escalate to Attend. - EPSS PROB
- 10%
- EPSS %ILE
- 96%
- KEV
- Not listed
Published
March 3, 2017
Last Modified
June 17, 2026
Advisory Details (5)
Auto-updated Sep 22, 20261376353 – (CVE-2016-7406, CVE-2016-7407, CVE-2016-7408, CVE-2016-7409) CVE-2016-7406 CVE-2016-7407 CVE-2016-7408 CVE-2016-7409 dropbear: Multiple issues fixed in dropbear 2016.74
https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=1376353oss-security - Re: CVE request for Dropbear SSH <2016.74
http://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2016/09/15/2Full Disclosure: [SYSS-2024-041] DiCal-RED - Use of Unmaintained Third Party Components
http://seclists.org/fulldisclosure/2024/Aug/35Dropbear: Multiple vulnerabilities (GLSA 201702-23) — Gentoo security
https://security.gentoo.org/glsa/201702-23Affected Packages
(5 across 5 ecosystems)
Debian:11(1)
| Package | Vulnerable range | Fixed in | Dependents |
|---|---|---|---|
| dropbear | — | 2016.74-1 | — |
Debian:12(1)
| Package | Vulnerable range | Fixed in | Dependents |
|---|---|---|---|
| dropbear | — | 2016.74-1 | — |
Debian:13(1)
| Package | Vulnerable range | Fixed in | Dependents |
|---|---|---|---|
| dropbear | — | 2016.74-1 | — |
Debian:14(1)
| Package | Vulnerable range | Fixed in | Dependents |
|---|---|---|---|
| dropbear | — | 2016.74-1 | — |
Debian:7(1)
| Package | Vulnerable range | Fixed in | Dependents |
|---|---|---|---|
| dropbear | 2012.55-1.3 | 2012.55-1.3+deb7u1 | — |
Weakness Classification(1)
MITRE Common Weakness Enumeration — the root-cause categories this CVE belongs to.
Data Freshness Timeline
(refreshed 5× in last 7d / 22× 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.
Showing the most recent 100 of 147 total refreshes for this CVE.
- 2026-09-24 13:59 UTCEPSS rescore
- 2026-09-23 13:41 UTCEPSS rescore
- 2026-09-20 20:09 UTCEPSS rescore
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- 2026-08-27 04:34 UTCOSV refresh
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- 2026-08-18 13:43 UTCEPSS rescore
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- 2026-08-10 17:38 UTCOSV refresh
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- 2026-07-25 18:00 UTCOSV refresh
- 2026-07-25 14:13 UTCEPSS rescore
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- 2026-07-23 14:15 UTCEPSS rescore
- 2026-07-23 01:24 UTCEG score recompute
- 2026-07-22 22:03 UTCEG score recompute
- 2026-07-22 14:04 UTCEPSS rescore
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- 2026-07-08 12:45 UTCOSV refresh
- 2026-07-07 13:42 UTCEPSS rescore
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- 2026-06-20 00:19 UTCOSV refresh
- 2026-06-18 17:50 UTCEPSS rescore
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- 2026-06-17 17:50 UTCEPSS rescore
- 2026-06-17 17:50 UTCEPSS rescore
- 2026-06-16 17:50 UTCEPSS rescore
Related CVEs(same product + same CWE)
Same product
10 shownDebian:7:dropbear · Debian:11:dropbear
Frequently asked(5)
What is CVE-2016-7406?
When was CVE-2016-7406 disclosed?
Is CVE-2016-7406 actively exploited?
What is the CVSS score of CVE-2016-7406?
How do I remediate CVE-2016-7406?
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